DALLAS -- A day before kickoff in the Cotton Bowl semifinal, Alabama sent home a key reserve. A one-sentence email was sent by the school mid-Wednesday afternoon.

"We have made an internal decision to send Tony Brown home due to a violation of team rules," the statement attributed to Nick Saban read.

No further explanation was given. Brown was present during the media day event Tuesday morning at AT&T Stadium.

A day before Brown's suspension was announced, he did a video interview with AL.com about his New Year's resolutions. He started with "emotional consistency" with the hopes of showing others he's not "up and down" and more "even keel."

The Beaumont, Texas product came to Alabama in 2014 as a five-star recruit who also ran track. He started two games as a true freshman but has not cracked the lineup this year. Brown played in all 13 games, made 16 tackles and broke up two passes. His eight special-teams tackles ties for the team lead.

Brown's biggest contributions came on special teams, especially covering kickoffs.

"I feel like Tony's doing a great job embracing his new role on the team," Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson said in November. "He's a great athlete and he's tough too. You see him running down and knocking people out. That's what he brings to the table."

Clemson, which plays in the Orange Bowl semifinal, suspended three players Tuesday night for reportedly failing drug tests. Three years ago, then-freshmen Dillon Lee and Ryan Anderson were sent home from the BCS Championship Game in Miami for curfew violations.

This story will be updated.