4 Insanely Dumb Comments Dabo Swinney's Made in the Last 3 Months

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been one of the NCAA's best in recent years, leading the Tigers to five straight College Football Playoff appearances and sporting a 2-2 record in the national championship. However, his recent comments regarding the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice have sparked criticism, despite the fact that many current and former players have come to his defense. Here are some of Swinney's most controversial statements over the past few months.

4. Swinney Wears 'Football Matters' Shirt in Wake of Black Lives Matter Protests

While many players, including quarterback Trevor Lawrence (who has been outspoken about racial inequality), defended Swinney, saying that he often wore this shirt during team activities and that it was not meant to have a negative message, the timing of this photo is a bad look for Swinney. While it does not appear that Swinney intended to offend players or fans, a simple wardrobe change could have saved him from some scrutiny.

3. Swinney Downplays Coronavirus Pandemic

Swinney, like Mike Gundy, had an optimistic view of college football's immediate future at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but his reasoning behind having a season was irresponsible, at best. Rather than providing a scientific basis for his belief, his statement that "we're going to rise up and kick this thing in the teeth and get back to our lives," per Grace Raynor from The Athletic, failed to grasp the true scope of the public health crisis.

2. Swinney Doubles Down on Coronavirus Comments

Rather than admitting that his comments about the pandemic's effects on college football were ill-informed, Swinney lamented the criticism he had received, saying "I could say the sky is blue and somebody would be mad as anything," per Sporting News. The only thing Swinney proved through his second statement was that he never listened to the reasoning behind the criticism in the first place.

1. Swinney Brings up Religion When Asked About George Floyd's Murder

Months after his coronavirus comments, Swinney showed once again that he lacks an understanding of social issues when asked about George Floyd's murder. After offering his condolences to Floyd's family, Swinney decried "our sinfull, fallen world," per Sports Illustrated, which many saw as deflecting attention from the very real racial issues which exist in the United States. While Swinney, like everyone else, is entitled to his beliefs, it was inappropriate for him to bring them up in this context.