Clemson football player arrested on marijuana charge. Dabo reacts

Four days after a Clemson football defensive lineman was arrested on a criminal misdemeanor charge of marijuana/hash possession, coach Dabo Swinney offered his first public comment on the incident.

Speaking Thursday at ACC Kickoff in Charlotte, Swinney addressed the June 21 arrest of Clemson defensive end Caden Story on a charge of possessing either 28 grams (1 oz.) or less of marijuana or 10 grams or less of hash, another cannabis product.

“Well, first of all, the way it was written was like he was handcuffed and taken to jail and that’s not accurate,” Swinney said Thursday at the Hilton Uptown Charlotte. “He was issued a ticket, a citation, and so he’ll be held accountable for that and handle the process for that, go to court for that, like the ticket says.”

Story’s case – which was formally filed in court on Tuesday – is listed as criminal in the Pickens County online database and is denoted as a “first offense.” He currently owes $615 in fines/costs stemming from his Sunday arrest, according to records.

In the state of South Carolina, if a person is found guilty of possession of 28 grams or less of marijuana or 10 grams or less of hash, they can be imprisoned up to 30 days or fined between $100 and $200, according to the SC Code of Laws.

Under Clemson’s student-athlete handbook, Story’s arrest does not trigger an immediate suspension from athletic activity because he was not arrested for/criminally charged for one of the following: any felony offense; sports wagering, gambling, game fixing; illegal possession of a weapon; or criminal sexual conduct.

Story, though, will be subject to drug testing under the guidelines of the Clemson athletic department’s use/misuse program and internal program discipline.

According to online court records, Story’s first court date will be in a “criminal/traffic court” hearing on Sept. 24 in the town of Central, South Carolina’s municipal court.

“He’s a great kid,” Swinney said Thursday. “He’s never been in trouble. Never had an issue with Caden, and we’ll handle it within our team framework.”

Story, 20, is a redshirt sophomore entering his third year with the Tigers. He’s expected to play a backup role along the defensive line in 2024.

Story’s arrest marks the third publicly known arrest of a Clemson football player on a criminal charge this calendar year after two were arrested in February. Leading into 2024 spring practice, defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart was arrested Feb. 6 on a felony weapons charge and a traffic charge, and wide receiver Noble Johnson was arrested Feb. 19 and charged with misdemeanor reckless driving.

Capehart (whose arrest triggered an automatic suspension under Clemson’s guidelines) had his charges dropped later that month. Johnson’s case (whose case did not trigger an automatic suspension) remains ongoing.