The brother of Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has been arrested in South Carolina on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor.
The office of state Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Henry Ervil Swinney III, 53, on Thursday. He was arrested on April 23.
Investigators followed up on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in arresting Henry Swinney, who lives in Clemson. In a news release, Wilson’s office said Swinney, who goes by Tripp, distributed material depicting child sexual abuse.
If convicted of the second-degree felony, Tripp Swinney faces up to 10 years in prison. He is out of jail on a $5,000 surety bond.
In 2016, Tripp Swinney was arrested in Florida on a stalking charge.
“There’s consequences for your actions. If you don’t do the right things, you suffer the consequences,” Dabo Swinney said then. “I’m no different from anybody else, my family’s no different than anybody else. I think the only sad thing is, it’s a story because he’s my brother. You know, if I was Joe Schmoe then you’re not asking me that question.”
He added: “Unfortunately, he’s had a long history of not doing the right things. But I love him, he’s my brother. There’s nothing I can do about it and I done everything I can to be a good brother and help him but that’s his life and those are decisions that he’s made.”
Dabo Swinney, 52, has been head coach at Clemson since 2008 and led the Tigers to two national championships.