New Report Links Former Clemson RB to Alleged Locker Room Threats Before Dismissal

Three days before Marquise Henderson was dismissed from the Clemson football team, campus police were called to the Tigers football facility to investigate a reported locker room confrontation. Now, new details are emerging — but they raise as many questions as they answer.

According to a Clemson University Police Department report reported by Chapel Fowler of The State, who obtained the police report through a public records request., two officers responded to the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex on June 16th after receiving a tip about a student allegedly making threats toward teammates. Henderson, an 18-year-old early enrollee from Belton-Honea Path High School, was at the center of that report — though the accounts from those involved vary significantly.

The incident reportedly stemmed from a teammate calling out Henderson for missing workouts. One student told a staff member that Henderson had threatened teammates and showed a photo of a gun on his phone. That claim was passed to campus police, prompting an on-site response that lasted roughly three hours. Another staff member confirmed hearing about threats but said no firearm was mentioned.

Police interviewed two Clemson players familiar with the incident, but both downplayed its seriousness. One player said the locker room exchange amounted to verbal jabs and couldn’t recall Henderson threatening anyone. He did remember someone showing him a photo of a firearm, but said he didn’t know who it came from. The second player gave a nearly identical statement and denied hearing or seeing any direct threats.

No arrests were made, and Henderson was never charged. But three days later, on June 19, Clemson formally dismissed him from the program. The university did not provide a specific reason, saying only, that Henderson was dismissed from the team. "Clemson has made the decision to dismiss Marquise Henderson from its program. We wish him the best as he moves forward,"

Henderson later after being dismissed announced via social media that he had committed to transfer to Liberty University, but that post has since been deleted. His next steps remain unclear.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said following the spring game in April that Marquise Henderson had stepped away from the team after participating in the early days of spring camp. According to Swinney, Henderson dealt with a hamstring injury that limited his availability during practices, and he ultimately did not play in the Tigers April 5 spring game.

A longtime Clemson commit, Henderson first pledged to the Tigers in December 2023 and officially enrolled in January. He chose Clemson over a list of other offers that included Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, NC State, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.

Henderson is the first Clemson player dismissed from the program since linebacker TJ Dottery — formerly known as TJ Dudley — was removed during the summer of 2023 for a violation of team rules. Dottery has since transferred to Ole Miss, where he is now a starting redshirt junior.

The former four-star recruit and No. 4 player in South Carolina never took a regular-season snap at Clemson. And as the university awaits Coach Dabo Swinney’s scheduled media appearance on Tuesday, it remains to be seen whether more clarity will come — or if Henderson’s brief time with the Tigers will end as abruptly and quietly as it began.