Waiting to suspend players during irrelevant games

CLEMSON — Expect some Clemson players to serve their suspensions Saturday against winless Temple.

Linebackers Anthony Waters and Maurice Nelson, offensive guards Nathan Bennett and Roman Fry and cornerback Duane Coleman must serve one-game suspensions for their role in the South Carolina brawl late last season. The sixth suspended player, defensive lineman Brandon Cannon, sat against N.C. State.

Coach Tommy Bowden said he decided over the summer to wait until after the Oct. 8 bye week before suspending players.

“I wanted to win as many games as I could with a full deck right off the bat, try to get off to the best start that I possibly could,” Bowden said Tuesday. “Then I would address it after that.”

What do we think about this? I mean on the one hand, brilliant move Coach. On the other hand, what kind of message does it send to the players to wait halfway into the next season before suspending them versus an inferior opponent? And is Bowden bold for admitting his reason for waiting or just the stupidest person this side of the Atlantic?

 

I disagree with it deep down, but it's the way college football is and I don't mind it....

 

I think it's weak and lame.

 

It happens everywhere, including here...

 

I guess... at least he's honest?!?

 

Its really a difficult spot to put your team in. Especially when you open the season against very good competition like Clemson did. You wanna give your team every opportunity to win, and it makes it very hard to do it for a big game.

and like DarkHornet said..."at least he's honest" and didn't try and make up some lame excuse on why he suspended them for a cupcake and not Miami or someone else.

Didn't they open the season with Miami?

 

TX A&M, as I recall.

 

The Zook method was something else.

Zook suspended a couple of players for two games last year, but when the Eastern Michigan game was re-scheduled, Zook insisted that the players were suspended for that particular game.

So a player gets a two game suspension and serves those two suspensions during the first game of the year and the fifth game of the year.

 

Unless I'm just way wrong, I don't remember Saban ever pulling that crap.

And I hope Miles doesn't either.

 

It's happened in the past. The opener in '96 (Houston). Kevin Faulk is supposedly suspened but somehow plays in the 4th quarter to lift LSU from behind to a win. As I remember he assaulted an officer in Carencro (his hometown) during the summer and was arrested. Amazingly enough, the Carencro Po-Po had all new cruisers before the season started around the same time charges were dropped.