A civil lawsuit against a pair of Clemson football players stemming from an incident last summer was filed Wednesday, prompting a response from head coach Dabo Swinney while meeting with the media following his team’s practice.
Swinney said nothing has changed with the status of defensive backs Fred Davis and Malcolm Greene, who have been sued for their involvement in an automobile accident last July that injured a US Postal Service worker.
“I think everybody knew this was coming,” Swinney said. “It’s a civil suit, and that stuff will play out. But certainly there are consequences even though it was a year ago. They’ve had a lot of (discipline) internally and all of that stuff, but there’s going to be consequences for that for a long time. That’s life.”
In a summons filed Wednesday in South Carolina judicial court, Karen Alvarez, a driver for the United States Postal Service, alleged Davis and Greene were racing in Pickens County on July 21, 2021, before Davis’ car struck Alvarez’s mail delivery vehicle, leaving Alvarez injured. According to the summons, Davis was traveling 115 miles per hour in a 55 miles-per-hour zone.
Alvarez sustained “serious, severe and permanent injuries, including fractures of her skull, spine, pelvis, rib, and clavicle, from which she continues to suffer, and upon information and belief, will continue to suffer in the future,” according to the summons.
Davis was suspended a game last season for his involvement, but Greene’s involvement wasn’t known publicly until Wednesday. Asked if he was aware of Greene’s involvement in the incident, Swinney said, “We’ve known the details since it happened.”
“All of that stuff has been dealt with internally,” he continued. “Obviously Fred has had a lot of public consequences as well, but from a legal standpoint and a team standpoint, all of that it behind us. This is a civil situation that they’re just going to have to deal with. It’s a personal thing they have to deal with. Again, there are consequences for actions and decisions.”
Swinney further commented on what he said is a “very sad situation” when asked about the mental state of both players.
“Someone almost lost their life,” he said. “They’re really fortunate that the lady involved survived. She’s got a lot of challenges. Again, I don’t think anybody is surprised this will play out on the civil side as well.”
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