Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/204831
Under the Dome to another school. Golson said he "used poor judgment on a test," and violated Notre Dame's honor code last semester. "It wasn't due to poor grades or anything like that," Golson said. When Staples pressed Golson on the digital version of the interview and asked him if the dismissal was from cheating on an exam, Golson became somewhat reticent before responding, "Yeah, something like that." He said he received an email from the university last May, after the spring semester had ended, about the violation, while visiting a friend in New York City. At that time, his thoughts immediately turned to his parents, Wayne and Cynthia, back home in Myrtle Beach, S.C. "We were sick," Wayne Golson told Staples of their reaction to the news. "The situation kind of speaks for itself," Golson admitted. "It's very humbling." Golson said it has been difficult to watch the 6-2 Irish this season from a distance, especially because he believes he could have helped the team in its only two losses to Michigan and Oklahoma. Golson landed in San Diego Sept. 3 to begin his two months of training with Whitfield, who has tutored recent NFL No. 1 picks Andrew Luck and Cam Newton, as well as 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. He has also worked with past and present NFL quarterbacks, including Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger. The expense was picked up by Golson's parents, a sum that Whitfield described as "almost a semester's worth" of tuition. Golson passed up the opportunity to play at a junior college this fall and transfer to another school. Prior to his move to San Diego, Golson lived in Chicago for two months with a cousin, Ivan Simmons. The cousin revealed to SI that five schools (unnamed) called Golson to see if he was interested in transferring. "My heart is set on going back to Notre Dame, not necessarily to prove anything to anybody — just doing it for me," Gol- son told Staples. "I feel like that's something that I started. I don't want to run away from it and go to a Juco or go to another school. I am going to face it. "I've learned a lot through this. I've matured a lot through it." According to the article, Golson will return to his home at Myrtle Beach, S.C., the week of Notre Dame's Pitt game (Nov. 9). If accepted back into Notre Dame, he will return as a student for the spring semester in January and take part in spring practice. "I know a lot of people are more focused on me getting back on the field," he said. "I'm more focused on getting back in the classroom. Because that's where it happened." The digital version on SI.com showed Golson's workouts with Whitfield, including him being blindfolded while going back on some of his pass drops. While working with Whitfield, one of the mechanical changes Golson underwent is the way he grips the football. Previously, he preferred not to hold it by the laces,