Dabo Swinney Comments on George Floyd Protests in Latest Press Conference

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has never been one to shy away from his beliefs, and he gave a heartfelt response to the George Floyd protests, inspired by another unarmed African-American man who was killed while being detained by Minneapolis police officers.

Swinney has always been vocal about his strong conviction in Christianity, and he referenced his faith in his comments about Floyd and the protests. He condemned the actions of the police officers in Floyd's death and went on to call for unity and love moving forward.

Swinney also said he and his staff are making an effort to communicate with players and keep them together during such a difficult time. He repeatedly asserted the importance of change and bringing about a brighter future from within his program As the leader of many young, black men who are dealing with this traumatic event, we are glad to see a college coach of Swinney's profile setting this example for his peers.

Back in 2016, Swinney was very critical of Colin Kaepernick's peaceful protest during the national anthem at NFL games. He said Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem was wrong and that people who were overly critical of the United States, "need to move to another country."

Swinney's remarks about the death of Floyd are a big step forward from his positions in 2016, and we really hope that they represent a genuine change in his beliefs rather than a stance for good PR. We're counting on him to follow through and grow those seeds of change at Clemson into full bloom.