Dabo Swinney doubles down on radio show rant at Clemson fan: 'I'm going to fight for this program'
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney held his weekly press conference on Tuesday and didn’t back down from the comments he made during his call-in show Monday night when he blasted a fan for asking what he was doing to earn his $11.5 million salary.
Swinney was asked during his press conference on Tuesday what set him off the night before.
“I had some idiot go Old Testament on me, and he got an Old Testament response. Y’all print that one,” Dabo Swinney said.
Swinney and the Tigers are currently 4-4, after opening the season with the goal of winning the national title.
Clemson has lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2011 and is currently 2-4 in the ACC. Still, as Swinney pointed out, this program has experienced a ton of success in recent years. That includes winning two national titles since the 2016 season and winning at least 10 games for 12 consecutive years.
“We’re in the midst of an amazing journey in college football history, and I’m not going to let one season, when I know exactly what the issues are, and a bunch of great kids and great coaches. I’m not going to let one season damper that,” Dabo Swinnney said. “I’m going to fight for this program. And hopefully we can get back to some appreciation around here. It’s freakin’ hard to win. All you’ve gotta do is look around the country.”
The biggest issue for the Tigers this season has been turnovers, particularly fumbles. However, there are plenty of other issues, too.
The offense hasn’t gelled with Garrett Riley taking over the way that everyone in the Clemson program hoped that it would. Offensive line play has been inconsistent all year long as Clemson is still searching for the right combination. In addition, pass catchers have dropped too many passes, while Cade Klubnik has been hesitant at times and struggled with accuracy at other times.
The lack of consistency and production, particularly on offense, has left Clemson fans frustrated. However, Swinney wants the fan base to not turn negative after one down year.
“We’re having a bad year. That’s my responsibility. Ain’t nobody happy about it. That’s my responsibility. That’s on me – 100 percent. I ain’t asking nobody to be happy, but let’s don’t eat our own. And that’s what we’ve done,” Swinney said.
“What’s happened around here is even when we’ve won, everybody’s miserable. And that’s sad. It’s really sad. And so I’m thankful for the struggle. I’m thankful for the opportunity to teach in a way that I haven’t had a chance to teach in a long time. So sit back and just enjoy the journey. That’s what I’d tell you.”