A promising year that has turned into a disaster just four weeks into the season got worse on Sunday. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer announced on Sunday that star defender Dylan Stewart is suspended indefinitely.
The news came down after Stewart’s on-field antics made national headlines and took social media by storm after what can only be described as a complete meltdown on national television. There were numerous videos of him refusing to come off the field for substitutions, ignoring Beamer and other assistant coaches, and even punching an Alabama player in the facemask after one of the Crimson Tide seven touchdowns.
Stewart has been at the center of several conversations throughout the offseason. A high price tag was attached to him each of the last two offseasons for NIL deals despite not being 100% healthy. He sat out the first two games of the season while nursing an injury, and only played 14 snaps against Mississippi State. The projected top ten overall pick in next year’s NFL draft had just one tackle on the season.
After the 49-18 loss to Alabama, Beamer spoke about the player’s behavior.
“I saw the play that he got the penalty on. I didn’t see it until just now, and that’s unacceptable,” Beamer said Saturday during his postgame press conference. “That’s not how we do things around here. I’m embarrassed to see that because that’s not what we’re about.
“Didn’t see it during the game. I knew we had a penalty. I didn’t know what happened. We’ve got a lot of fiery, emotional, competitive guys, and I love that. When you’re in the arena, emotions are high.”
South Carolina plays Kentucky next week.
