After trial video, Smith won’t return to Clemson
Clemson assistant coach Steve Smith will not be back with the program next season, the school announced Friday.
Smith’s contract expired April 30 and was not renewed.
“I support the decision not to renew Steve Smith’s contract,” coach Brad Brownell said in a statement.
In the college basketball corruption trial last week, Smith was seen in an undercover video meeting in a Las Vegas hotel room with agent-runner Christian Dawkins, financial adviser-turned-government witness Marty Blazer and an undercover FBI agent posing as an investor in Dawkins’ fledgling agency.
In the video, Smith was recorded talking about trying to recruit Zion Williamson, a South Carolina native who ended up at Duke and is expected to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft.
“I’m meeting with his stepdad,” Smith said in the recording. “Me and his stepdad are going to work it out.”
“We’ll be able to make sure everything’s good for the parent and everything like that,” Dawkins told Smith in the recording.
Smith also mentioned his relationship with Merl Code, Dawkins’ co-defendant in the ongoing bribery trial. Code is a former Clemson basketball player.
“That’s why football is so successful,” Smith said in the video. “If you do it and use resources at Clemson, like you really can keep everything tight.”
Smith was not seen on video taking money.
Smith just finished his seventh season as an assistant coach at Clemson. Prior to joining Brownell’s staff with the Tigers, Smith spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Georgia Southern.