Shane Beamer comments on Dylan Stewart suspension: ‘There’s a standard’
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Shane Beamer made the call to suspend Dylan Stewart after the South Carolina edge rusher’s behavior during a loss to Alabama in Week 4. It remains to be seen when Stewart will take the field again with the Gamecocks, if at all.
Beamer didn’t close the door to a potential return for Stewart during a discussion with ESPN’s Marty Smith ahead of the Gamecocks’ Week 5 home game against Kentucky.
“He has to embody the standard of how we do things,” Shane Beamer said. “If I believe he has learned and will be better for it, then I’m willing to have a conversation and talk about him potentially returning.”
Even as he sits on one of the hottest seats in college football, and even as the Gamecocks enter Saturday having lost nine of their last 10 SEC games, Beamer isn’t backing down from his decision, one that he told Smith “was his alone.” He added that Stewart apologized during an “emotional meeting” on Monday.
“His absence against Kentucky certainly doesn’t help us. He’s a first-round draft pick. But at the same time our players know there’s a standard and we are holding one of our most talented players accountable,” he said. “That’s a strong statement to our team that accountability is real in this program.”
South Carolina kicks off against Kentucky at 4:15 ET.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
