SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – Notre Dame will enter its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference without leading scorer Jerian Grant.
The university posted a statement from Grant on its web site Sunday evening that said he is no longer enrolled at Notre Dame “due to an academic matter that I did not handle properly.”
“I take full responsibility for my lack of good judgment and the poor decision that I made. I have no one to blame but myself for the situation,” he wrote. “I know and understand the expectations that go with being a student at Notre Dame and I did not live up to those standards.”
Grant is the second high-profile athlete to be suspended from Notre Dame in the past year for academics. Quarterback Everett Golson was suspended from school for the fall semester for academic impropriety, but was readmitted on Dec. 13.
Coach Mike Brey scheduled a Monday teleconference to talk about the loss of Grant. The news comes a day after the Irish (8-4) squandered an eight-point lead in the final 50 seconds in a loss to No. 3 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden.
Grant, the son of former NBA player Harvey Grant, was averaging 19 points a game. He is a senior academically, but has a year of eligibility left because he did not play as a freshman. Grant said in his statement he plans to try to return to school after the spring semester and “finish out my college basketball career here.” He said he had been on track to graduate in May with a degree in sociology.
He also apologized to his teammates.
“I was looking forward to being in the lineup when our team started play in the Atlantic Coast Conference,” he said.
The Irish play at home against Canisius on Dec. 29 before beginning ACC play at home against eighth-ranked Duke (9-2) on Jan. 4.