Eagles release statement on Brian Kelly

After receiving interest from the Philadelphia Eagles to fill their head coach vacancy, Brian Kelly instead decided to keep his position as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and turn down the opportunity to coach in the NFL.

Shortly thereafter, the Eagles released a statement regarding Kelly's decision, which followed similar ones by Penn State's Bill O'Brien and Oregon's Chip Kelly.

"There is no question we spent a considerable amount of time and effort looking at who we thought were the best collegiate candidates for our head coaching job. We did so knowing that there was a remote chance that these coaches would leave their current posts. We understood that going into the process, but we wanted to leave no stone unturned while trying to find the best head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. We have no regrets about the effort we made in that direction and we will continue to proceed as planned in our search."

Kelly, 51, was named the Home Depot Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading the Fighting Irish to an undefeated regular season and trip to the BCS National Championship, although they were defeated by the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Eagles are still looking to fill the void left by the firing of Andy Reid as head coach. Reid served 14 seasons with the Eagles and is the franchise's all-time winningest coach, but the team won just four games in 2012, finishing No. 29 in the NFL in points for and points allowed. The 4-12 record in 2012 was the worst for the Eagles during Reid's tenure.