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Clemson's Dabo Swinney Gets Honest on Reinstating Suspended Player
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- Clemson's Dabo Swinney Gets Honest on Reinstating Suspended Player
(USA TODAY Network)
Just before the start of the 2026 campaign, Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney revealed that defensive tackle Vic Burley had been suspended indefinitely as a result of a late August incident in which Burley was arrested on public disorderly conduct charges.
Given that Clemson's defensive tackle room was already thin as it was, the loss of Burley was not taken lightly .
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Swinney has since reinstated Burley, however, and the junior will be available to play against North Carolina this Saturday.
Swinney provided an update on Burley this week, ensuring that the defender knows such actions will not be tolerated at Clemson.
"I mean, a dumb decision on his part," Swinney said . "He's a kid working on his MBA. He's already got his degree. He's about to get an MBA from Clemson. Vic's — I mean, he took ownership of it, and we held him accountable. A lot of places would have just said, keep playing, but we've got some standards around here that we believe in."
Swinney added that he's "not going to kick him off [the team] for being stupid," but it seems abundantly clear that he was understandably frustrated with Burley.
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However, he is very happy with how Burley has handled himself throughout the process.
"He handled it. He took ownership of it," Swinney added. "Shoot, he wrote me a personal letter. He wrote the team a letter. I mean, he took — you know, he didn't run away from it. It cost him some money, too. It's pretty big consequences, when you get suspended. So, he paid the price. He's more than probably most. So, he's back, and hopefully we can get him going."
Burley arrived at Clemson in 2023, but missed the entire season with knee injuries. He redshirted and made his debut in 2024, logging seven tackles. He then posted similar results last year, finishing with eight stops.
Now that Peter Woods and DeMonte Capehart are both gone to the NFL, the door was open for Burley to take a leading role on the interior this fall, but he missed some time in fall camp even before the arrest, and now, he has his work cut out for him.
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"He's got some other things, too, that he's had to deal with off the field that have been hard on him," Swinney said. "He's got a lot going on. So, we just are trying to help him through it. So, we'll see where he is and how he does."
The Tigers' defensive tackle rotation also features Amare Adams , Andy Burburija, Devarrick Woods and Champ Thompson. Markus Strong was in the mix, but he is now likely out for the season after undergoing surgery for a lower-leg injury.
