SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- George O'Leary says he was asked to resign as Notre Dame football coach after admitting he lied about his background, contradicting the school's statement that he offered to resign.

"I was asked for my resignation, which I wasn't going to fight that," O'Leary said in an interview with ESPN's Mike Tirico to be broadcast Sunday night (approximately 11:30 ET). "I think they did what they had to do based on the facts they had."

A Notre Dame spokesman on Friday repeated the school's earlier statement that O'Leary offered to resign five or six times on Dec. 13 after admitting he did not have a master's degree from New York University as his biographical sketch stated.

"We stand by our statement that he offered his resignation. That's definite," Lou Nanni said.

The school originally said O'Leary offered to resign after admitting he had lied about being a three-time letterman at New Hampshire.

Notre Dame officials told him they planned to stick with him. Then they learned he also had lied about his academic credentials, the school has said.

O'Leary does not believe the fraudulent claims in his bio ever helped him.

"Not one thing I put on paper ever got me a job," he said. "Not one time did I ever turn in a résumé. I've never done a résumé or been involved with a résumé in any job I've ever been involved with."

O'Leary also said he believes Notre Dame made the right choice when it hired him to replace Bob Davie, who was fired Dec. 2.

"I should have been more truthful up front about my background, and again I can see why there was credibility lost in that situation," he said.

O'Leary, who lasted just five days at Notre Dame, is interested in coaching again.

"I need to coach again," he said. "I'm not one to sit around and say, 'Poor old me."'