Dabo Swinney defends Bill Belichick decision to call late timeouts

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick is under fire from a number of different places this week, but Clemson coach Dabo Swinney isn’t about to add another. Not even after Belichick called a timeout with one second remaining in a blowout loss.

To Swinney, that was just part of the coaching evolution the Tar Heels are going through right now. He explained that he wasn’t upset about it.

“No, not really. I mean, he’s a competitor,” Swinney said. “He’s trying to get his; they’re evaluating guys. They’re trying to get guys to play and every play is an opportunity to evaluate your team.”

North Carolina was trailing 38-10 at the time of the timeout, with just one second remaining on the clock. The ball was at the team’s 20-yard line, so it wasn’t like the unit was even in the red zone, driving in. It had 80 yards to go to score.

Still, it afforded Bill Belichick one more chance to see his guys in action. Quarterback Max Johnson hit a pass to his brother, Jake Johnson, for a 16-yard gain.

“I mean, obviously the game was over, but it’s still a chance for those guys to play,” Swinney said. “Still a chance for those linemen to be evaluated. Still a chance for the quarterback to get one more rep or whatever. So he’s just coaching ball. I mean, he’s coaching till the last second, and I think that’s what great coaches do.”

Bill Belichick embroiled in controversy

Amid a 2-3 start to the season, with wins over Charlotte and Richmond and blowout losses to TCU, UCF and now Clemson, Bill Belichick has come under heavy fire. Multiple reports have surfaced about potential discord in the program.

But perhaps the most tangible sign of distress is the reported suspension of cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported Tuesday night that Hawkins has been suspended by the program.

Allegations of extra benefits provided to a player’s family first surfaced in an explosive report from WRAL. According to one of Feldman’s sources, the alleged extra benefits included providing a player’s family members with sideline passes for a game. That is in violation of NCAA rules.

The noise had grown to such a deafening din by midday Wednesday that North Carolina issued joint statements from Bill Belichick and athletics director Bubba Cunningham on Wednesday night, with Cunningham offering his ‘full support’ to Belichick and Belichick reaffirming his commitment to the program.

So, yeah, a late timeout in a game against Clemson seemed like a bit of an afterthought from the weekend. And Swinney treated it as such.