That's not a norm. Not at least given what I see I'm my job.
It's very much a norm. Especially if the rules and or laws are not specific that a person should or has to recuse himself/herself from a situation. Some still do the right thing, but then you have very high profile situations where others do not. These situations are playing out presently in state legislatures, state supreme courts, etc. etc. all around the country. And globe, to be fair.
I don't know who Jack's first lieutenant in charge is, but with the UA deal and Jack's time as AD both coming to a close, with Jack's son now a UA employee it would make sense that others at the university be the point people on this new apparel deal. If not, transparency should not be a lot to ask, but I'm sure ND being a private institution means they don't have to disclose much to the public.
I suppose if I were a big time money person at/for ND, I'd want to know where Jack's head is at with this, which is obviously hypothetical and maybe this information is being shared with necessary parties as the negotiations are moving along. It would seem to me that on paper, Nike or a return to Adidas would be the best financially for ND athletics. If that isn't the case, I'd like to see projections that show otherwise.