In the third quarter of the Clemson Tigers’ 45-10 win over Louisville, cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. was ejected after throwing a punch at the Cardinals’ Trenell Troutman. Before the officials could even eject him, however, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had already sent the freshman from Dacula, Georgia to the locker room for an early shower.
“That’s not who we are,” Swinney said, “and that’s not who he is.”
On the other hand, after the game was when Booth would really pay the price for his actions. While the rest of the Tigers flew home, Booth was sent on the bus with the team managers, nearly a 450-mile journey.
“He rode back on our manager bus. That’s where it started,” Swinney said. “The rest of it will be handled in-house.”
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During a Louisville punt, the two players clashed downfield as Troutman attempted to cover the punt. After wrestling each other to the turf, Booth threw a punch at Troutman and was promptly ejected.
That being said, Swinney and Booth were both quick to apologize and state that this behavior was out of character for both the young cornerback and the Clemson football organization.
“[He] has responded well,” Swinney said. “He is disappointed in himself, embarrassed. He has apologized to our team and our AD. He’s been extremely remorseful. What happened is way out of character for who he is. Very pleased with how he has taken ownership. He had a long bus ride home last night and plenty of time to think about it.”
Booth currently has just three tackles in his freshman season. The Clemson Tigers, however, are currently 7-0, good for 1st in the ACC and 4th nationally. They have absolutely torched teams offensively this year, scoring 40+ points in five of their seven wins.
They have also been tough defensively, allowing more than 14 points only once this season to conference rival UNC.
Per Swinney, the Booth matter will be completely handled in-house and will be highly unlikely to derail Clemson’s success so far as they look to stay undefeated when they host Boston College on October 27.
