South Carolina edge rusher Dylan Stewart was suspended indefinitely after throwing a punch at an Alabama player on Saturday night, coach Shane Beamer announced Sunday.
Stewart was called for a personal foul after he punched tight end Josh Ford in the helmet in the fourth quarter of the Gamecocks’ 49-18 loss in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Beamer said he would make a decision early this week about when, and if, Stewart will return. Stewart, who is widely projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft, was ruled out of Saturday’s home game against No. 24 Kentucky.
“There’s a standard of how we do things in this program, and that was not it last night,” Beamer said. “It’s beyond the punch. The punch is unacceptable. He’s not the first person to ever, unfortunately, throw a punch in a football game, and he won’t be the last. But it’s some of the other stuff that isn’t how we do things in this program. Accountability is a core value of this program, and we are all accountable to the standard.”
Stewart, an Associated Press preseason All-America first-team pick, missed the first two games of the season because of a back injury. He has one tackle for loss and three quarterback hurries in two games.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
