Suspended for Clemson’s ACC championship game win over Virginia Tech, Mike Bellamy will see that punitive measure extend even deeper into the postseason.
Head coach Dabo Swinney announced Tuesday that the running back will be suspended for the Jan. 4 Orange Bowl, as well as the practices leading up to the BcS bowl game. The reason for the original suspension was for violating unspecified team rules.
Swinney said there’s a chance Bellamy could be reinstated next month, after the bowl game, provided “he does the right things.”
“The expectation is that he will have an opportunity to come back with us in January,” Swinney said in quotes distributed by the school. “If he does the right things, he will have a chance to go through spring (practice) and if he doesn’t, he will not.”
As Travis Sawchik of the Charleston Post & Courier wrote, Bellamy “has frustrated the coaching staff with his immaturity off the field and his inability to grasp the playbook.”
The true freshman is currently second on the Tigers in rushing with 343 yards, and third in rushing touchdowns with three. Bellamy was a five-star member of Clemson’s 2011 recruiting class and the No. 5 RB in the country according to Rivals.com.