Jadeveon Clowney is in real pain, and he's really making his own decisions.
The South Carolina star defensive end cleared the air about the controversial rib cage injury that compelled him to sit out last week against Kentucky just before kickoff. Because Clowney had not indicated previously that his injury might be that painful, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier responded in unkind. He then tried to square things with his star player Tuesday.
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And hours later, Clowney met with the media, completely unbothered by the negative perception that came with the decision to sit.
He's a smart kid.
Clowney had a smooth handle on his recruitment, which was intensely contested by top schools. He had a smooth handle on a brief controversy over the summer about how many Clowney-autographed pieces of memorabilia were available for sale online, as with Texas A&M star Johnny Manziel. And he'll maintain a smooth handle on RibGate.
And that could mean trouble for the Razorbacks.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
