NC State’s Doeren on Belton’s Removal for Spitting on Clemson Player

During Clemson’s 59-35 win over NC State last Saturday at Death Valley, Wolfpack offensive lineman Anthony Belton was ejected for spitting on Clemson defensive lineman Tre Williams.

Belton was thrown out late in the second quarter, and on Monday, NC State head coach Dave Doeren announced in his weekly press conference that Belton will not start this Saturday in the Wolfpack’s game against Northern Illinois due to his actions and ejection.

“I was really disappointed in Anthony Belton’s response,” Doeren said. “Things happen on the piles. All kinds of things happen in piles, and we all know as players, and Anthony knows as a player, the guy that responds and retaliates is always the one that gets penalized. It’s a tough lesson for him. He put strain on our team and got ejected from the game for it, and he’s learning a tough lesson. He won’t start in this football game, and that’s just not what we do.”

Doeren added that the actions of Belton – a 6-foot-6, 356-pound graduate student and starting left tackle – don’t reflect his character.

“So, he’ll learn from that and he’ll grow from that,” Doeren said. “Choices have consequences. It’s something that he’ll have to learn from and prove himself and come back from it and be better for it. But that’s not a representation of him. He’s a great young man that made a bad mistake and he’ll pay for it, and our hope is he’ll grow from it.”