What really happened to Rashad Fenton in the Belk Bowl?

South Carolina football senior defensive back Rashad Fenton was called for pass interference midway through the second quarter of the Belk Bowl on Sunday against Virginia. After the play, he was clapping and nodding his head on the field.

That turned out to be one of the last times he saw the field in his USC career.

Not long after, Fenton was benched, and he spent the entirety of the second half on the bench, at times with his helmet on. The Gamecocks proceeded to play several true freshmen and converted running back A.J. Turner in the second half.

Fenton, who had played in 47 career games for Carolina and led the team this year with three interceptions, was out.

After the game, coach Will Muschamp had an unusual explanation for Fenton’s absence. At first, Muschamp simply said he didn’t know why Fenton didn’t play, adding, “He was out the second half.”

However, when asked again, Muschamp seemed to imply Fenton pulled himself from the game.

“It was Rashad’s decision” not to play, Muschamp said. When asked to clarify if that was the case, Muschamp declined to answer.

Fenton was not made available to reporters after the game, but senior defender Bryson Allen-Williams said Fenton told him his absence was due to injury.

“He pulled his groin. On that penalty, he actually felt his groin pop. I talked to him. He wanted to come back in the game, he didn’t just pull himself out of the game, he really wanted to come back in the game. I was in the training room with him,” Allen-Williams said.

On social media, Muschamp’s comments drew a heated response from fans accusing Fenton of quitting on the team, comparing him to NFL player Vontae Davis, who abruptly retired from football during halftime of a game this season.

This story was originally published December 29, 2018 at 4:36 PM.