The question was going to be asked. That became a certainty when the University of Oregon fired Mark Helfrich on Tuesday.
It was the first topic of conversation when Chip Kelly met with the media on Wednesday in Orlando. The San Francisco 49ers head coach said that he talked with Helfrich this morning to express his sympathies.
“I just felt bad for Mark. I love him like a brother,” Kelly said. “He’s a tremendous person. He’s a hell of a football coach, but he’s an even better person. (I) felt for him and the rest of the guys on that staff.