The coach did not understand why FSU didn’t want to play.
There is no coach in college or pro football who is moretone deaf than Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. He is a great coach, the record willindicate that, but he does say a good many things that make you shake yourhead. Swinney should just keep quiet and just coach because some of the thingshe says border on inane. Swinney was trending on Twitter on Sunday because ofCOVID-19. He accused Florida State University officials of using COVID-19 as anexcuse for that school not wanting to play his team. Clemson’s travel party to Tallahasseeincluded a player who had shown COVID-19 symptoms and tested positive forCOVID-19 after the team touched down in the Florida capital. “To me,” Swinneysaid, “the Florida State administration forfeited the game.” Swinney seemsto be ignoring the rapid virus spread. His team has been impacted by COVID-19too. But Swinney is unhappy with FSU not the pandemic.
Swinney gets paid a reported more 9.3 million dollars annually to coach. Sure, his players can get something more than bruises from a game if they decide to pursue a free education when they have time away from football. Swinney makes millions off his players’ collective backs but doesn’t think his players need to get paid. In 2014, Swinney said, “We try to teach our guys, use football to create the opportunities. Take advantage of the platform and the brand and the marketing you have available to you. But as far as paying players, professionalizing college athletics, that’s where you lose me. I’ll go do something else, because there’s enough entitlement in this world as it is.” Swinney is the poster boy for what is exactly wrong with college sports, coaches making big salaries off of unpaid workers. He also seems to not understand the COVID-19 illness.
