Sophomore Cameron Clear was arrested by University of Tennessee police Tuesday after allegedly logging onto the school's wireless network with a laptop stolen from the dorm room of a Volunteer baseball player. The Volunteers announced Friday morning that Clear has been dismissed from the team.
"It hurts anytime a player is dismissed from the program, but there comes a time when a player's actions dictate that his privilege of being a part of this team should be removed," coach Derek Dooley said in a statement.
"We will continue to support Cam and his family to help him learn from his actions and become the person and player I believe he has the potential to be."
Clear appeared in all 12 games of his 2011 freshman season, catching one pass for four yards. A 6-foot-6, four-star recruit out of Memphis, Clear was expected to taken on a larger role in 2012 behind starting Vols tight end Mychal Rivera.
But Clear's alleged theft means that if he ever does find any role on a college football field, it won't be at Tennessee. According to the university police warrant, officers had little trouble locating Clear once he had logged on to the school wireless network.
"Upon my arrival, I saw Mr. Clear sitting with a silver MacBook in his lap," university police officer Ben Doty wrote in the arrest warrant, as reported by the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "Once he saw the officers, he closed the laptop."
The laptop's serial number reportedly matched that given to police by the computer's owner. Clear was charged with felony theft up to $10,000.
His dismissal continues what has been an up-and-down offseason for Tennessee, with seven of Dooley's nine assistants leaving the program, star receiver Da'Rick Rogers flirting with a transfer, a successful spring camp headlined by signs of life from the beleaguered Vol running game, and now Clear's arrest and dismissal.
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