Clear dismissed

Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley didn't wait on the legal process to decide the fate of tight end Cameron Clear in his football program. After gathering information including visiting with Clear following the sophomore's arrest Tuesday night on a charge of felony theft, Dooley has dismissed the Memphis native.

"It hurts anytime a player is dismissed from the program, but there comes a time when a player's actions dictate that his privilege of being a part of this team should be removed," said Dooley in a release. "We will continue to support Cam and his family to help him learn from his actions and become the person and player I believe he has the potential to be."

Clear, who appeared in all 12 games last year and was praised throughout the spring by Dooley, was listed as the number two tight end on Dooley's organizational chart. He's no longer a part of the organization following the weekend theft of a Macbook pro laptop that was owned by freshman baseball player Jeffery Zajac. Zajac reported the laptop stolen on Saturday. Tuesday afternoon, the Unversity's IT department saw the laptop log into his network and called authorities. The UTPD was dispatched to an area around gate 2 of Neyland Stadium where Clear was found in possession of the laptop.

"Upon my arrival, I saw Mr. Clear sitting with a silver MacBook in his lap," UT police Cpl. Ben Doty recounted in the narrative on the warrant report. "Once he saw the officers, he closed the laptop."

Clear was taken into custody and arrested on a charge of felony theft. He was released on $2,500 bond Tuesday night.