Reader Takes Time Away From Tigers

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney announced Tuesday D.J. Reader will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. The senior was listed as a starting defensive tackle and was one of the two players Swinney took to the ACC’s preseason media event this summer. “D.J. Reader has decided to step away from football for a while,” said Swinney. “He has some personal issues he has to deal with at this time. We are not sure when he will return. We will support him any way we can. This is no different than a player being lost for a period of time due to injury.” Reader has played in 38 games in his career but started just one. He was being counted on to help Clemson rebuild a defense that saw 11 players this offseason head to NFL training camps. “We will move forward at the tackle position. We have many players who will do an outstanding job in the defensive line.” “We are excited about preparing for our 2015 journey that starts September 5 with the opener against Wofford.”