Clemson’s Tony Elliott defends Dabo Swinney after criticism-filled offseason
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had his share of critics this offseason. It was criticism that Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott believes was unfair.
Elliott, who has worked under Swinney since 2011, feels that those who questioned Swinney’s words and actions this offseason would not have done so if they knew Swinney personally.
“It’s unfair and unfortunate for coach that people that don’t know him can have an opinion and have a platform to voice their opinions. I think everybody around coach Swinney that has a relationship (with him) knows that he’s not anything that they were trying to portray him to be,” Elliott said. “He’s one of the most genuine people that you’re ever going to meet. He’s like a father to me. He truly values every person. He looks for the good in everybody.”
Swinney initially received criticism this summer for his comments after the death of George Floyd.
Pundits said Swinney did not speak out strongly enough against police brutality and racial injustice when he made his first comments after Floyd’s death.
“I wish he’d have said nothing because he said nothing. I’m expecting him to speak from his heart and he gets up there and says, ‘I know we’re all hurting.’ Nobody asked you about ‘we.’ This is you,” Fox Sports 1’s Shannon Sharpe said on the “Undisputed” TV show. “When Colin Kaepernick did what he did, (Dabo) didn’t say ‘we.’ He said, ‘I feel this is a distraction.’ He spoke in personal tense. Now when it comes to this, ‘We’ve got challenges.’”
Sharpe was one of the most outspoken critics of Swinney, and he and others disagreed with Swinney being photographed wearing a “football matters” shirt during the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sharpe and others also questioned Swinney’s handling of assistant coach Danny Pearman using the n word during a practice in 2017, an incident that came to light this offseason. But Elliott said Swinney “didn’t do anything wrong” and it bothered him seeing people question Swinney.
“On the surface you have some frustration because somebody that you love, somebody that you care about, is being attacked,” Elliott said. “His character is being attacked. You know it’s not true and not warranted, but you understand the context and the climate that we’re in, so it was pretty challenging.”
Elliott added that he believes Clemson’s program establishing itself as one of the best in the country is one reason for the criticism.
“It’s unfortunate that people would take an opportunity, but we understand as a program, we understand as individuals, with success comes scrutiny. (Swinney) talks about that all the time,” Elliott said. “And we understand that it’s all about perspective. And for us we understand that we must be doing something right. Our program must be making a difference, making a change if it’s going to be attacked that way.”
Clemson held its first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday as the Tigers continue to work towards their season opener at Wake Forest on Sept. 12.
This story was originally published August 15, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
