Clemson officials learned late Monday afternoon that the Tigers will not have to bypass two practices this week due to an equipment violation under NCAA rules.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney announced Monday that the Tigers would be punished for wearing thigh pads in their first two practices last week which violated a regulation that states that no padding is allowed during a school's first two practice days. The coach says he was unaware of the rule and that "someone turned in pictures of our first practice to the ACC office."
The coach also notes that pictures of other teams' early practices indicates the use of similar padding.
The Tigers rescheduled their Monday evening practice that was initially called off.
Swinney says that since he's been at Clemson (beginning in 2003) the team had always worn thigh pads during their opening practices but, unlike this year when they took the field wearing tight-fitting pants that expose the padding, they'd always worn baggy shorts so the padding was not revealed.
The coach adds that the team was otherwise compliant in what it did during last week's first two days of practice.
Swinney also announced Monday that freshman offensive tackle J.K. Jay will miss the season due to a back injury he suffered lifting weights in July. Jay will have surgery later this week and will then be redshirted, meaning he'll still have four years of eligibility remaining. Phillip Price will move into Jay's spot on the depth chart.
Meanwhile, senior wide receiver Jacoby Ford, who's been hobbled since early in the first practice after aggravating a hamstring injury, is expected to be cleared to have contact for Saturday's scrimmage.
The team also has a scrimmage scheduled for Tuesday and Swinney says he expects the session to give him and his coaching staff a better understanding of how some of the positions will play out.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement