South Carolina’s suspension of Dylan Stewart didn’t just raise questions about discipline. It opened the door to the new reality in college football: punishment can hit the wallet, too.
Shane Beamer said Sunday that the junior defensive star is suspended indefinitely after a day-before loss to Alabama that included several troubling moments - Stewart walking off the field as Beamer yelled at him to jog, punching an opponent, pushing a teammate and refusing to come out of the game. Beamer stopped short of saying whether Stewart will still be paid while away from the team, but in this NIL and revenue-sharing era, that question is very much part of the story.
The short answer is that South Carolina likely can fine him, or at least stop payments.
Sources in the agent and front office worlds told The State that contracts like these often include conduct language that allows a school to dock pay or halt it altogether when a player is disciplined. One agent who represents a South Carolina player said most college football programs now build in clauses that allow compensation to be reduced for conduct detrimental to the program and school. Another source from a Power-4 football front office said South Carolina likely has a fine-and-penalties structure in place that would let USC punish Stewart financially.
The exact contract details are not public, and Stewart’s agent declined comment. Schools do not have to release player contracts, and they also do not have to disclose what entire rosters are being paid. Even if those numbers were known, they would still be muddied by third-party NIL arrangements used to work around the NCAA’s spending cap of $21.58 million.
What is known is that Stewart is one of the biggest financial pieces on the roster. The Athletic reported South Carolina is likely spending between $32 million and $35 million on its football roster for the 2026 season, and Stewart is thought to be the Gamecocks’ second-highest-paid player behind quarterback LaNorris Sellers. On3 has Stewart at around $2 million this season.
Beamer made clear that the standard hasn’t changed just because players now earn significant money.
“What hasn’t changed and never will is the standard of how we do things,” Beamer said. “It’s always about the team. ...
My job is always, as a leader, to protect the team and do what’s best for the team. And sometimes those are really, really hard decisions, but it’s what’s best for the team.”
He also said Stewart won’t play this week against Kentucky. As for whether Stewart returns after that, Beamer kept it open-ended.
“I’ll make the decision on what his future looks like beyond this week here in the next day or so,” Beamer said. “Still having some meetings and talking with him.”
This kind of financial discipline is becoming more common. When Clemson suspended linebacker Vic Burley after his August arrest, Dabo Swinney said the punishment came with a money hit, and a TigerNet report said Burley did not receive his monthly payment while suspended.
Swinney put it plainly: “It cost him some money, too,” Swinney said. “It’s pretty big consequences, you know, when you get suspended.
So, you know, he paid the price.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in 2024 that the Bulldogs’ NIL collective was fining players - “substantially,” Smart said - after a string of arrests tied to speeding and reckless driving. Smart told ESPN, “I actually think the best key is the pocket because you look at what the NFL has done, their model is defined,” Smart told ESPN.
“And if you asked any of our players what they would rather have, they want their money. When I say substantial - very substantial - in terms of the hits some guys have taken.”
For Stewart, the exact answer remains behind closed doors. But based on how college football is operating now, the odds are strong that suspension doesn’t just mean time away from the field. It can mean money lost, too.
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