Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney goes off on fan during call-in show

It’s been a tough year of football in the Palmetto State. The South Carolina football team and their archrival Clemson Tigers are struggling and could be playing for a bowl berth on November 25th for the annual rivalry game. Head coaches Shane Beamer and Dabo Swinney have seen the frustrations of losing affect them this fall.

A couple of weeks ago, Beamer took some criticism for his comments to the media that many believed were too critical of his team. Then, news came out that he broke his foot kicking a water cooler after the Gamecocks’ loss to the Florida Gators.

Dabo Swinney has been a bit testy with the media and with Clemson fans all season, but on Monday, during Swinney’s “Tiger Calls” call-in show, he took out his frustrations on a fan.

Known just as “Tyler from Spartanburg,” a Clemson Tiger fan called him and was very critical of Swinney. The fan wondered aloud why the Clemson headman gets paid over $11 Million when the team is losing like it is. He even addressed Swinney’s self-proclaimed “man of faith” label by asking if he had read the book of Proverbs recently because Proverbs 16:18 states that “Pride goes before a fall.”

The criticism continued into Swinney’s unwillingness to adapt to the new age of NIL and the transfer portal. Tyler from Spartanburg was simultaneously outrageously inappropriate and was raising some valid critiques of the Clemson coach.

Swinney, as many would be, was outraged at the comments. In a long-winded rant that ranged from uber-defensiveness to veiled threats directed at Clemson fans to claims that he’s never failed at anything, Swinney verbally slapped Tyler around for over five minutes.

Some “highlights” from Dabo Swinney’s counterattack against Tyler from Spartanburg:

• “There ain’t one thing in my life that I’ve ever failed at, Ty-luuurrrr. Never. Aight?! Ever.”
• ”I don’t give a crap how much money I make. You ain’t gonna talk to me like I’m 12 years old. Gotta be freaking kidding me.”
• “I don’t know how old you are—don’t really care—but we won 11 games last year. Aight?! Let me tell you something: You’re part of the problem.”
• “It’s people like you…all you do…well, the expectation [of me] is greater than the appreciation [of me]. And that’s the problem.”
• “All this bullcrap you’re thinking, and all these narratives you read…listen, man, you can have all the opinions you want, and you can apply for the job. Good luck to you.”
• “Frank Howard never had a bad year? Coach Ford never had a bad year? Coach K never had a bad year in basketball?…At some places there’s an expectation, but at Clemson, there’s an appreciation…Now, people like YOU complain, criticize the coaches, and question everything…People like you love to destroy people with your comments.”
• “I started as the lowest-paid coach in this freaking business…I’m where I am because I worked my [tail] off every single day. I ain’t gonna let some smart-[butt] kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So, if you gotta problem with that, I don’t care!”
• “I work for the Board of Trustees…if they’re tired of me leading this program, all they gotta do is let me know. I’ll go somewhere else where there is an appreciation.”

As is to be expected at this point from Clemson media, a hearty “Amen” from the call-in show host Larry Munson when Swinney finished his rant. To listen to the full audio from Coach Swinney, click here.

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers could be in for more frustration this Saturday as they take on Notre Dame.

For greatest entertainment value, someone has to make sure that Tyler from Spartanburg receives press credentials for that postgame press conference.