Clemson's Dexter Lawrence, two others to miss CFB Playoff title game
The three Clemson players who failed NCAA drug tests prior to the start of the College Football Playoff semifinal games and subsequently missed the Cotton Bowl matchup against Notre Dame will also not play in Monday’s national championship, according to reports.
Dexter Lawrence, Zach Giella and Braden Galloway will not participate in the national title game on Monday against Alabama due to those failed drug tests, Yahoo! Sports’ Pete Thamel reported. Clemson filed an appeal with the NCAA but it was denied.
Though Lawrence won’t play in the game, he is expected to travel with the team.
Clemson’s Dexter Lawrence will not play in national title game. He will travel there with team.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 3, 2019
All three players tested positive for a “sliver” of ostarine prior to the Cotton Bowl. Players submitted B Sample tests but the results were the same. Because it was an NCAA drug test, the players were suspended immediately.
Lawrence is the most significant player to be suspended for the game. This season, the defensive lineman recorded 37 stops, 7.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for the Tigers. He appeared in the first 13 games of the year.
Clemson didn’t miss Lawrence much in the Cotton Bowl Classic, pummeling Notre Dame 30-3 to advance to the title game against Alabama. But the Crimson Tide are a different story, and the Tigers needed to have all hands on deck against one of the most dominant college football teams we’ve seen.
Monday will mark the fourth straight season Clemson and Alabama have gone head to head in the College Football Playoff. This is the third time a national championship is at stake.