Georgia Tech defensive end Antonneous Clayton has opted out of the remainder of the season, an announcement he made from his Twitter account Tuesday.
Clayton said that he was taking a break on account of his mental health, saying that he had not previously made that his top priority because he wanted to be a role model for his teammates and other non-teammate friends who look up to him.
“Sadly I can (no) longer put my mental health on hold because it has started to affect parts of my life that I hold dear to me such as relationships, academics and most importantly the relationship I have with my son,” Clayton wrote.
Clayton transferred to Tech from Florida in 2019 and then sat out the season after his request for an immediate-eligibility waiver (and a subsequent appeal) was denied by the NCAA. After an injury kept him off the field for the first two games of this season, Clayton has played in five games, starting four. He has nine tackles, 2.5 for loss and two sacks.
After his first game with the Yellow Jackets, at Syracuse on Sept. 26, defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker expressed his elation for Clayton.
“It was one of those moments, if you can detach yourself from circumstances and outcomes, you’re happy for that kid,” Thacker said. “If the goal is for him to have a positive experience here in college football, he has gone through a lot. He has battled through adversity, and I was happy for him in that moment.”
In his tweet, Clayton thanked defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Marco Coleman and coach Geoff Collins “because they care about antonneous the father/young man rather than antonneous the football player.”
Clayton added that he was making the decision to take leave of the team “so that I can come back stronger next year and be the leader and teammate that this team deserves and get my priorities and life in order.” Clayton, a senior, can return for next season, as the NCAA has granted all fall-sports athletes an extra season of eligibility. Tech has three more games scheduled, including a game Saturday at N.C. State.
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