Dabo Swinney made it abundantly clear Monday that he is fed up with defending his team’s performance to wavering Clemson fans.
When taking a call on his “Tiger Calls” radio show from an individual identified as “Tyler in Spartanburg,” Swinney tore into the caller when was asked about his $115 million contract and the team’s 4-4 record.
“You’re part of the problem,” Swinney told the caller, according to ESPN.
“The appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation. That’s the problem. We’ve won 12 10-plus-win seasons in a row. That’s happened three times in 150 years. Clemson ain’t sniff a national championship for 35 years; we’ve won two in seven years. And there’s only two other teams that can say that: Georgia and Alabama.”
Swinney has been under scrutiny as this is his worst season in more than a decade.
“Is this a bad year? Yeah, and it’s my responsibility,” said Swinney, who agreed to a 10-year contract extension in 2022 that comes with an annual salary of around $11 million.
“Take 100 percent responsibility for it. But all this bull crap you’re thinking, all these narratives you read. Listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want, and you can apply for the job. And good luck to you.”
The criticism of Swinney and the Clemson football program has only continued to intensify after dropping two straight games to Miami and NC State.
And despite missing the College Football Playoff each of the last two years and a third straight miss certain, Swinney wanted listeners to remember the empire he built for the Tigers.
“I started as the lowest-paid coach in this business [and] I worked my ass off,” Swinney said. “I’m not going to let this smart-ass kid get on the phone and tell me how to do my job.”
On a previous radio show appearance, Swinney said he recognizes the danger of fairweather fans.
“We’re at a point in our time, and I hate that, where people, if you don’t go undefeated, (say) ‘You’re losers, you’re terrible.’ And it’s just such a terrible mindset,” Swinney said. “And honestly, maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full.”
Clemson will have the opportunity to move above .500 on Saturday against No. 12 Notre Dame.