South Carolina releases statement after Josh Belk accused them of forcing him to work out through injury
On Monday, video surfaced of former Clemson and South Carolina DL Josh Belk claiming that the Gamecocks’ staff threatened to take away his scholarship if he didn’t work out while injured.
That’s obviously a serious accusation, as schools aren’t allowed to rescind scholarships for medical reasons.
That prompted South Carolina to release a statement, saying HIPPA laws prevent them from commenting on specific athletes, but adding that they support their trainers and staffers (via The State):
“The University of South Carolina is committed to providing all of our student-athletes with high-quality, comprehensive health care from nationally recognized surgeons and athletic trainers. Additionally, as stated in the Gamecock Student-Athlete Promise, all athletically-related scholarships provided to incoming freshmen are four-year agreements and coaches cannot withdraw scholarships because of medical reasons. Due to federal HIPPA laws, the University cannot comment about medical treatments or issues with any specific student-athlete.”
This will be a case to watch, as it remains to be seen if Belk follows up after South Carolina’s statement.