Xavier Thomas injury update

by Tony Crumpton - Assoc. Editor - Tue Oct 29 11:59:20 GMT-04:00 2019

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney held his weekly press conference Tuesday and updated the injury status of two important defensive players on his team.

Swinney said that the team takes their time and very precautious when someone has a head injury like Xavier Thomas.

"He looked pretty good last night," he said about Thomas. "It was the first time that they really ran him. You get into these concussion protocols and just everybody responds differently. It’s just something that you just don’t mess with it. He got rocked pretty good by John [Simpson] in practice in our inside drill, and it was on like a Wednesday or something, so he was out that game, and then just wasn’t able to go last week. You got to be able to practice and go out there and put the pads on, and he couldn’t do it Tuesday and Wednesday. Not that he couldn’t do it. He didn’t qualify to do it. He probably could, and there’s probably a day in time where he probably would have been out there doing it."

Swinney reminiscences about the time he got a concussion during his playing days.

"The game has changed. I mean, I got knocked out in Bryant-Denny one time, literally knocked out cold right in the temple on a dig route, and I woke up in the training room back at the football facility. I don’t remember anything. I was back in practice in about two or three days. Just a different deal, but we were pretty stupid back then too. We just know more."

Swinney will just take a wait and see approach with the injury with Thomas.

"He just couldn’t pass the protocol last week in time to play," he said. "Last night he was wearing shorts and the first time we’ve been with him because they are off Sunday, so he ran and did what he needed to do. So today we’ll see where he is. I don’t know if he’s going to be out there in green. How’s he going to do. How’s he going to respond? I have no idea."

"I’m hopeful, but nothing guaranteed."

For the season, Thomas has 15 stops, including 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

"It wasn’t his AC just a bruised shoulder," Swinney said about safety Denzel Johnson. So, you know, he’s probably day-to-day. We’ll see how he does today was put the pads on."

Johnson has 17 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble this season.