Everett Golson has mild concussion

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print

The helmet-to-helmet hit Notre Dame starting quarterback Everett Golson sustained late in Saturday's win resulted in a concussion, though it would seem to be a very mild one based on his coach's prognosis.

Coach Brian Kelly said during his Sunday teleconference that his quarterback was a bit symptomatic the day after Notre Dame's win against Stanford but will undergo more tests Monday and is expected to be cleared Tuesday.

"We really can't do anything with him physically until all the symptoms have been cleared, and then there's the cognitive testing that has to take place," Kelly said. "So our general protocol is we expect him tomorrow to be able to pass his cog test. If he does that, then we begin light exercise.

"If there's no reoccurrence of any headaches then we clear him. If he doesn't get cleared on Tuesday then we repeat the process and we continue with it.

"So the only thing that would be at risk here is if he's not cleared for Tuesday, then he loses a lot of rep work on Tuesday. It doesn't mean that he couldn't still be a starter for us if he practices Wednesday and Thursday."

Notre Dame has no classes this week because of fall break, so a team meeting is all that is really on the agenda for Golson between now and Tuesday.

Kelly remains confident in reserves Andrew Hendrix and Tommy Rees -- who led the game-tying and game-winning drives over Stanford when Golson was knocked out -- but does not think he will have to turn to them.

"Certainly if he's not able to go or is not cleared then Tommy and Andrew Hendrix would be our quarterback situation," Kelly said. "But talking to Dr. (James) Moriarty, who is one of the lead guys in concussions, he felt pretty confident that he'd be cleared by Tuesday."

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Comments0
• Email
• Print
• Subscribe

Matt Fortuna | email

College Football

• Archive

• ESPN.com Notre Dame blogger
• Joined ESPN.com in 2011
• Wrote for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review