Never one to mince words, longtime Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney lamented the current eligibility crisis in college football and even managed to work in a witty shot at his counterpart as his Tigers prepare to take on LSU in their season opener.
The two-time national champion was recently asked about the hot-button topic of NFL players winning suits in court, allowing them to return to play for college football teams. Swinney’s opening-day opponent, Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers, have been especially aggressive in courting such players.
As is customary for Swinney, he didn’t hold back.
“It’s kind of embarrassing,” Swinney said, via ESPN’s David Hale.
“Honestly, it’s embarrassing that’s where we are. I don’t blame the kids, but people trying to take advantage of the system. It’s embarrassing, but we’ve been there for a while.”
Swinney then delivered the line that he had clearly prepared: “No pun intended, but we’re just going to stay in our lane.”
No pun indeed, coach.
The legendary Clemson coach’s expertly delivered jab is clearly a reference to his counterpart this weekend, Lane Kiffin, who wasted no time in taking advantage of the court rulings permitting certain players to return, and spent much of the last couple of weeks trying to lure both former Bayou Bengals and former Ole Miss Rebels, who played for Kiffin last year.
College football conferences, the SEC included, were naturally aghast at the idea of players who had left school and played in NFL training camps returning to the college gridiron. The Big Ten and the SEC, where Kiffin’s Tigers play, responded by restricting the return of players who had declared for the draft and/or participated in NFL camps. The conferences also enacted penalties against head coaches who sought to take advantage of the court ruling.
However, those very measures to prevent the inclusion of former NFL players have now run into roadblocks of their own, as their legality has come under scrutiny given that they conflict with a court order. Thus, potentially leaving the conferences open to legal action.
Clemson will face LSU Saturday at 4:30 EST on ABC.