Swinney: "I've already made a decision on Lakip" |
PINEHURST, NC – Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talked to the media about suspended kicker
Ammon Lakip
Ammon Lakip “I've already made a decision on Lakip,” Swinney said Tuesday at the ACC Kickoff. “I just hadn't shared it to the full extent, other than with Ammon. He'll have a chance to rejoin us when schools starts Aug. 19. That'll be the first opportunity that he'll have a chance to come back.” Lakip was arrested for DUI and simple possession of cocaine in early June and Swinney said that his actions were “embarrassing,” but the Atlanta native will have an opportunity at a second chance. “I will say this: obviously, very disappointing when you have a player that embarrasses himself and embarrasses your program, or more importantly, just does something stupid,” Swinney said. “That's disappointing, but Ammon is a good young man. I've never had a problem with him. That's the biggest reason why he's getting an opportunity to learn and grow from this, but hopefully we'll see. Time will tell if that actually happens.” Swinney said that Ammon knows what he has to do and that he will also miss most of fall camp. “The ball's kind of in his court at this point. He'll definitely miss some time,” Swinney said. “That's one of the reasons I didn't want him in camp. It needs to be about the guys who are going to have a chance to be our starter. Then, if he does everything that he's required to do, he'll get another opportunity to rejoin our team but he's going to have to start over and go early. We'll see where that is. I have no idea. I can't predict the future.” To this point, Swinney said that Lakip has done everything he’s been asked to do. “I told him, 'Here's where you are, but it kind of depends on you.’ There's a lot he has to do,” he said. “He's got a lot of legal things that he's following through with and some team discipline and things like that. It's not like this is just set in stone. “He's done a great job, doing the things that have been laid out for him, but he's not done. He's in the process of that. It's kind of silly to say this is it. He's got to continue to work until he gets back. When he gets back, there will be team discipline that he's facing as well.” However, Lakip won’t be able to rejoin the Clemson football team until mid-August and will also miss game time. “First of all, we'll see if he makes it back, but the earliest he's going to have an opportunity is August 19 to rejoin our team,” he said. “He's doing everything that's been asked of him. Right now, it looks like he's going to be with us August 19. But I have no idea. He's definitely going to miss some games. How many, we'll talk about later, but he's definitely going to miss some games.”
RS Sr. Punter / Kicker
#36 5-11, 200
Alpharetta, GA
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Tuesday morning at the ACC Kickoff and said that he has already reached a decision on Lakip’s punishment, but that Lakip needs to satisfy certain criteria before he returns to the program.
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