Irish junior quarterback Everett Golson has been suspended from Notre Dame for the fall semester due to "poor academic judgement."
"I have been informed by the University of Notre Dame that due to my poor academic judgment that I have been suspended from the University for the 2013 Fall Term," Golson said in a statement released Sunday.
News broke late Saturday night that Golson was no longer enrolled at Notre Dame.
"I take full responsibility for my poor choices and will do all that is asked of me to regain the trust of my family, friends, teammates, coaches and the entire Notre Dame community," Golson said.
"I chose to attend Notre Dame because of its mission to develop me both on and off the football field. My parents and the community I grew up in have instilled values in me that have and will continue to allow me to be successful in the future," Golson said. "There have been many lessons learned as I worked to become the starting quarterback at Notre Dame and each was a result of [Irish head] coach [Brian] Kelly's belief in me as an athlete and a person."
Kelly held a teleconference with media members Tuesday and compared his disappointment with Golson's situation to parenting.
"It's like being a dad," Kelly said. "You're disappointed, but you know these things happen, and you want your players to be accountable. So there's a big sense of pride in knowing that Everett handled himself in the right way, took full accountability and responsibility, is going to do everything in his power to get himself back here at Notre Dame.
"I'm disappointed certainly that it occurred but not surprised," Kelly said later. "You can't be surprised when you're working with 18- to 21-year olds. I'm not surprised when my 16-year old knucklehead son comes home and does crazy things. We're there as a family and we hope to support him."
In his statement, Golson said he is looking forward to the opportunity to re-enroll at Notre Dame.
"At this point, I understand how my integrity could be in question but I want to reassure my supporters that through this experience I will return a better student-athlete as well as a better individual," Golson said. "Lastly, I want to thank the University of Notre Dame for the opportunity already granted and also the opportunity going forth to regain my eligibility in the winter of 2014."
Kelly said if Golson earns his re-enrollment to the university it will warrant his return to the football program.
"He doesn't have to show me anything but making sure he took responsibility for his actions, which he did," Kelly said. "Understand that he made a mistake and he wants to atone for it. If the university allows him back into school, that would be enough for him to be on the team. And then we're back to work. You got to prove yourself. I have to prove myself every day, and he's going to have to prove himself every day."
Golson threw for 2,405 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first year at the helm of the Irish offense and led Notre Dame to a 12-0 regular season and the BCS National Championship Game. His absence leaves seniors Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix as the only Notre Dame quarterbacks who have seen game action. Early enrollee Malik Zaire will also compete for the starting job, Kelly said.
"We have three quarterbacks," Kelly said. "Tommy and Andrew have a great deal of experience, and obviously Malik got an opportunity to come in early, has a good understanding. So all of those guys will have an opportunity to compete to be the starter."
Former five-star quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel transferred to Cincinnati at the end of the spring semester.
Contact Andrew Gastelum at agastel1@nd.edu and Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu
