Clemson tight end returns from year-long drug suspension maintaining, ‘I did nothing wrong’

Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney raises the ACC championship trophy after the team's win over Virginia on Dec. 7. (Ken Ruinard/the Independent-Mail/AP)

Clemson sophomore tight end Braden Galloway will suit up for the No. 3 Tigers in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl against No. 2 Ohio State after serving a year-long suspension for failing a drug test ahead of last year’s College Football Playoff.

Galloway and two other players, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and offensive lineman Zach Giella, tested positive for ostarine, a muscle-growth supplement banned by the NCAA, and were forced to sit out the Cotton Bowl and national championship game. All three have maintained their innocence and said they were uncertain how the substance entered their bodies.




“I know I did nothing wrong, so no matter what media outlets say, I know I did nothing intentionally that put that in my system and I’ve taken probably 15 to 20 drug tests since the one I failed and haven’t failed any other. And they’ve been drug-tested by the same company the NCAA uses. So I know I’ve done nothing wrong,” Galloway told ESPN.

Galloway is the only one of the three to return to Clemson after the failed test. Lawrence turned pro and now plays for the New York Giants. Giella exhausted his college eligibility.

“I really just put my faith in God every time there’s a drug test,” Galloway added. “I just hope and pray that nothing crazy happens like this again. I don’t wish this on any player. There’s nothing you can do about it. They want you to tell them how it got in your system, and if you can’t tell them that, they can’t really do anything about it.”

Ostarine is not approved by the FDA but has reportedly been included in health supplements without being listed on the label. Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney said last season that the team was looking into a number of sources to investigate how the players were introduced to the substance, including hair care products, skin cream and the team’s saltwater float pool. Ultimately, Clemson never determined the source.

“I don’t know how it got in my system,” Galloway said. “Every time I get drug tested I’m nervous for that whole next week. I don’t know if I put something in my system that I just didn’t know about, but we take it very seriously what I put in my body.”

Analysis: Clemson hasn’t faced anyone like Ohio State

Galloway is expected to receive playing time immediately; Clemson (13-0) has received little production from its tight ends. Junior J.C. Chalk, primarily a blocker, has started in Galloway’s place all year. He and backups Davis Allen, Luke Price, Jaelyn Lay and J.L. Banks have combined for 24 catches and 179 yards this season.

Galloway, 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, was primarily used for blocking during his freshman year, when he had five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Clemson gets most of its pass-catching production from wide receivers Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross and Amari Rodgers and running back Travis Etienne.

The Tigers are favored by two points against Ohio State.