The fate of Notre Dame football players KeiVarae Russell, DaVaris Daniels, Ishaq Williams, Kendall Moore and Eilar Hardy could be known by the end of the first week of October, provided that a ruling is rendered upon the conclusion of the hearings.

The five student-athletes have not practiced with the football team since the middle of August when the University discovered evidence to suspect them of academic misconduct.

They have missed the first three games of the 2014 season, will be unavailable for a fourth this weekend against Syracuse, and presumably also would have to miss the Oct. 4 home game against Stanford, even if they are cleared to participate.

“Friday of last week, I was informed that the academic committee has been formed officially, and that they will - if all things move in the manner that they’re hoping and that they’re able to get through all the information - get their hearings concluded by the end of next week,” said Kelly at his Tuesday press conference.

Asked if he believed that by virtue of their exclusion from participation on the football field that the five student-athletes already had been found guilty of academic misconduct, Kelly replied: “I really don’t have enough information to really give you an opinion on that.”

What Kelly said he did have enough information on in which to offer an opinion, he was unwilling to do so. Kelly chose not to respond directly to a question about how the process has played out.

“I don’t have an opinion, and I really wouldn’t want to share it publicly,” Kelly said.

Kelly has been in communication with Notre Dame Vice President/Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick regarding how the process has played out and how the process can be improved if/when another similar situation arises.

“These are dialogues that Jack and I are having not after the season; we’re having them as they occur,” Kelly said. “There are clearly ways that we believe, internally, that we need to get better. We don’t wait until January to have those conversations. We’re having them right now.”

Kelly said the expectation of parents discussing their child’s transgression with the University as it’s being investigated is not the way the University conducts business when a student is suspected of an impropriety. The fact that it’s being played out on a public stage because of their football affiliation adds a different twist.

“Certainly this is a national story, so it takes on a different significance. I understand that,” Kelly said. “The time element has obviously changed the dynamics as well.

“But if it’s about drug testing, if it’s about a violation in the dorms, if it’s about an honor code violation, it’s the student that is on the front line, it’s the student that’s dealing with this directly, and it’s the student that then talks to the parents about it. So from that standpoint, I have seen a consistency.”

Twice, Kelly said that he was not representing the administration as a “spokesman” or a “sound piece.”

“I’m answering your question, and all I can answer for is what I experience as a football coach that goes on in my program,” Kelly said. “If one of my players has a violation - whether it be the honor code or in the dorms - the parents aren’t notified. The student is notified. This is a pretty consistent way of doing business if you will.”

Asked if he had knowledge of current or former players’ actions that would prompt Notre Dame to vacate victories from previous seasons, Kelly denied being in possession of that information.

“I do not have any knowledge of vacating wins or NCAA implications,” Kelly said. “I have not been informed of that, and whether that is impending, I think I would have been informed of all those things if we were in that kind of immediacy.

“What I do know is that a committee of this fashion has not, in my understanding, been set up before…It’s a very complicated situation. There are a lot of pieces…We’re probably going down a path that (Notre Dame) has never gone (down) before.”