Swinney, Tigers Ready to Play, Not Cancel Season
Dabo Swinney, always the optimist, isn't changing a thing about how his team is preparing for the 2020 college football season amid announcements, votes and speculation that the sport won't be played this fall.
In fact, the Clemson head coach said he's having more fun than ever watching his team practice, even with strict COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. And he wouldn't want his players anywhere else than the Tigers' facilities.
"This is the safest environment that we can have our guys, without a doubt, as opposed to letting these guys go home and be in these environments where they're not getting tested, you know every single week. Have the type of sanitized environment that we have here, mitigated environment that we have here."
Meanwhile, the Big Ten reportedly canceled all fall sports Monday by a vote of 12-2, with Iowa and Nebraska being the only two dissenters. Speculation has run rampant that the Pac-12 and possibly the other three Power 5 leagues could follow suit.
But the ACC hasn't made anything official. In fact, there are reports the league is standing firm, and Swinney is confident a fall season can still take place.
"At some point, everybody has to make their own decision on what you want to do," Swinney said. "And, you know, I've made my decision. I have a football team that's made their decision. And, you know, hopefully, people will respect what we want to do and allow us to play."
For Swinney, it's about managing the situation of COVID-19 and not making decisions just because of the virus. Clemson had at least 37 players test positive for the coronavirus this summer while on campus, but that threat isn't going anywhere, Swinney said, whether football is played or not.
"Yes, guys could still get it. I can get it. I can't do anything to keep me from getting it," Swinney said. "I got two sons on the team, though, but we all, you know, have to make our own risk assessments in life. It's always been that way. And it's no different. And again, if you could say that hey, just cancel all this and everybody's perfectly safe, I'd be the first one, saying let's go, but that's not the case."
Clemson's spring practice was cut short back in March when right after the Tigers went on spring break, the shutdown of all sports began. Players never came back to campus for in-person classes, and the team entered a murky offseason with players working out mostly on their own until early June. Swinney doesn't have the same feeling about fall camp on the heels of the Big Ten's decision.
"This is very different because we're in meetings, we're in camp. We're together all day every day," Swinney said. "So it's very different. We're aware of what's going on out there, but we're just trying to stay focused on what we control and. But also, you know, we have to fight for what we believe in."
Clemson hasn't opened up its campus to the rest of the student body, but Clemson players have been at the forefront of a social-media movement to keep the season alive. The players are aware of how different and at risk they are once that occurs if it in fact does. But quarterback Trevor Lawrence is in favor of keeping the players locked into football as opposed to being outside of at least somewhat of a football bubble.
"If you get rid of football, it's going to be a lot worse," Lawrence said. "People are going to be out downtown hanging out, going wherever, whether they're back home or here. And I just think that's a whole new can of worms. That's just my opinion."
How the ACC, SEC or Big 12 play can play without the other two power leagues is still unknown. Swinney said he'd leave that topic of discussion for Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, but Swinney stands by the safest option for his players is being right where they are today.
"I'm just trying to get my team ready," Swinney said. "If we get a chance to just play whenever whoever, whatever, anywhere, you know, we just want to play football. We just want to do what we love to do."
