Bowl Game Up in the Air for Coleman

The future of cornerback Duane Coleman with the Clemson football team hasn't yet been resolved.

The senior was arrested Wednesday and held overnight in the Oconee County Detention Center for possession of marijuana.

Tigers head coach Tommy Bowden said early Thursday afternoon that he hadn't spoken to Coleman about the incident yet and likely wouldn't until Friday.

"He graduated today, his mother is here so I've let them enjoy today," Bowden said. "Tomorrow I will accumulate all the information and I will make my decision tomorrow."

Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning is sick about the situation and not from a football standpoint, either.

"I talked to Duane's mother earlier today and I told her I was sorry, but I don't know really what to tell her," Koenning said. "For the first time in a while I was lost for words. I didn't know what to say.

"The fact that her son is graduating from college, I don't know how many people in their family have or have not, I just think she is extremely proud of him for graduating from college. I don't think she hit a brick wall, it was more like a speed bump in her mind, but we will leave that question to her.

"She has a lot to be proud of in her son. He came here with a whole bunch of people on the hill saying there is no way he is graduating and he stayed after it. He got help from people up on the hill and he stayed after it and he walked and got his degree."

According to the ticket issued to Coleman, who was pulled over because of a failure to use his turn signal, redshirt sophomore cornerback Brandon Croley was riding in the passenger's seat.

When the officer approached the car, he could smell an order that he believed to be marijuana. When he asked the players about it, one of them responded, "We done smoked it," the ticked showed.

Croley wasn't charged with any violation.

Koenning said that Gaddis will start at one cornerback, with freshmen Chris Chancellor and Crezdon Butler battling it out for Coleman's spot, should Bowden rule the senior isn't allowed to play.

Gaddis made no bones about just how upset he is.

"The whole thing just sucks, man," Gaddis said. "To see all that he has accomplished and to see his career end on a sour note like that, it sucks. It sucks for me, so I can only imagine how he feels.

"I have been here almost as long as he has and I've seen his ups and downs and everything he has gone through. It is sad to see it end like this, but the good thing is he did get his degree."

Gaddis said he is confident someone else on the defense will be able to fill Coleman's role from a leadership standpoint.

"We have enough leaders to step up and bridge the gap," Gaddis said. "We've gone through the stuff with guys like (Anthony) Waters going down. I think we will be all right."

One academic casualty
Redshirt junior Roy Walker was ruled academically ineligible Wednesday. He was the only Tiger not to make the grade.

"We had one, and as you can see locally, we had a few down there at Georgia Tech," Bowden said. "This is the time of year when finals come out and as the NCAA tightens and makes it more difficult. You might start seeing this more year-to-year."