Yesterday, Dabo Swinney made it clear that he will not tolerate alleged improper behavior from his players. Clemson suspended its senior defensive tackle Vic Burley following his arrest by the University Police Department on August 22. He was charged with disorderly conduct in public. Now, more details have emerged about the incident.
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“Based on the factors observed, I placed Victor under arrest for public disorderly conduct,” the responding CUPD officer wrote as per the State on August 24. “Victor was impaired and planning to drive his vehicle. The police detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage within his vehicle.”
In South Carolina, public disorderly conduct acts as a legal “catch-all” charge for police officers. The law explicitly applies when police find a person in a grossly intoxicated condition on a public highway or road.
Allegedly, the Burley truck was on Calhoun Drive, a road on Clemson’s campus that is within university police jurisdiction. Burley was allegedly in the driver’s seat of a truck parked unevenly in the public roadway with the engine running. When the police went to check on him, they allegedly saw him sleeping on the seat. When they asked him to step out of the vehicle, they allegedly “detected the strong odor of marijuana.”
Officers claim that Burley remained asleep and “did not respond to his door being opened, and he was unsteady on his feet, and he spoke with a slurred speech.” “While speaking with Victor, he was slow to respond and did not directly answer questions, dragging out his answers,” the report claims. The subsequent search of Burley’s truck uncovered a THC vape pen and a Glock 19 handgun.
Burley was booked into the Clemson City Police Department jail and released later that same Saturday after posting a $257.50 bond. Head coach Dabo Swinney was not happy with the conduct and did not waste any time in issuing a public statement.
The timings of the arrest was not good for the Tigers. The arrest happened just two days after Swinney publicly praised Burley for making major plays during a heavy Thursday scrimmage. Burley had just worked his way back onto the practice field after overcoming an injury barrier. However, Swinney is known to have set standards at the program, and as was reflected in his statement yesterday.
“Earlier today, I was made aware of defensive tackle Vic Burley’s arrest by the Clemson University Police Department for disorderly conduct early Saturday morning. I have made the decision to suspend Vic from our football team indefinitely. We are extremely disappointed by his actions and decisions,” Swinney said in his statement.
Vic Burley’s football career
The senior defensive tackle, Vic Burley from Warner Robins, Georgia, arrived at Clemson as a highly touted five-star recruit in the 2023 class. Before his recent indefinite suspension, he was widely projected to be a breakout lynchpin for the Tigers’ defense in the 2026 season.
Long before donning the Clemson uniform, Burley was the Georgia 5A Defensive Player of the Year at Warner Robins High School. He finished his dominant prep career with 188 tackles, 55 tackles for loss, and 22 sacks. Burley showed flashing elite potential during Clemson’s March spring game, wrecking the interior line to record 3 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a pass breakup.
Clemson defensive tackles coach Nick Eason publicly named Burley the team’s “most improved” player. Eason praised his mental fortitude and physical development.
After battling a day-to-day injury earlier in August fall camp, Burley returned to full contact and dominated Clemson’s Thursday scrimmage. Head coach Dabo Swinney explicitly praised his play on Friday, stating he noticed Burley making big plays at least three times. His arrest occurred less than 24 hours later.
With Clemson opening the season against No. 11 LSU on September 5, losing a 315-pound projected defensive tackle completely upends their defensive front strategy.