Suspended since early December, it appears Mike Bellamy is slowly emerging from Dabo Swinney’s doghouse.
By way of Travis Sawchik of the Charleston Post & Courier, the Clemson head coach said Tuesday that Bellamy will be on the field with his teammates when the Tigers open spring practice Wednesday.
The running back was originally suspended for the ACC championship game win over Virginia Tech due to unspecified violations of team rules. That suspension extended to the Tigers’ blowout loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl.
While Bellamy will be back on the practice field, it appears he’s not completely out of the doghouse just yet.
“This is a big spring for him,” Swinney said, before acknowledging that the sophomore-to-be is “a guy you just kind of pull for, a very likable guy. Knows rules, so far he’s doing what he’s been asked to.”
And what’s he being asked to do? "[B]eing more accountable, little more disciplined, making right decisions,” Swinney said.
At the time of his initial suspension, the true freshman was second on the Tigers in rushing yards (343) and rushing touchdowns (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.