Clemson Football: Sammy Watkins Getting Let off Lightly by Coaching Staff?

Maybe I'm jumping the gun, and I will finish this article only to find that Clemson have miraculously issued Watkins with a suspension of some kind.

I might be in the minority when I say that I don't think that the specific details of any in-house punishment should be made public; but I do think that some acknowledgement should be made by the coaching staff that Watkins already knows of his fate.

By all accounts, Watkins seems like a stand-up guy who made the same mistake that a lot of people do all the time. The only difference is that he, like any other athlete, has been anointed a "role model" through no choice of his own.

But whilst I admire Watkins and see him as one of my favourite players in the sport, I find it strange that Dabo Swinney hasn't announced what the ramifications of Watkin's poor decision-making will be.

Is the indecision and lack of a commitment to enforcing rules acceptable in the coaching staff's mind because Watkins is a star player?

I think that a one-game suspension would be appropriate, but there could be some backlash if absolutely no punishment is handed out whatsoever.

Swinney said a few days back that he would "probably" decide on what to do with Watkins in the near future, but to wait this long to make a decision after the arrest was made on May 3rd seems a little strange.

Swinney has basically said that if Watkins continues to be the great guy he is, the punishment won't be too severe.

But it was over month ago that Swinney mentioned Watkins would likely miss game time, so maybe it has already been decided.

With the lack of clarification, do you believe he will miss game time? Or will Watkins get the benefit of the doubt—and would that be sending the right message?