DeAndre Hopkins defends Dabo Swinney: ‘Never been racist’

Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, who has been criticized for “Football Matters” jerseys and the use of words by one of the coaches in his Tigers program, received support from one of his former stars – DeAndre Hopkins.

Star receivers – who in March were traded by the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals – took to Twitter on Wednesday to say his old coach was not racist.

“One thing I know, Coach Swinney has never been racist or has bad intentions towards any player,” tweeted Hopkins. “The best coach I have ever had from a soccer perspective and personal perspective. He helped me become a man and grow from being a child from Central South Carolina. “

Hopkins – who played at Clemson for three seasons from 2010-2012 – and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was in the Tigers’ 2014-16 program, recently joined the student petition to ask universities to remove the name John C. Calhoun from Honorary College School. Calhoun, who served as vice president under John Quincy Adams from 1825-1829, also enslaved 70-80 African-Americans, according to his bio at school website. The Clemson University campus is built on Fort Hill Plantation in Calhoun.

“I felt this oppressive figure while I was at Clemson and deliberately didn’t mention the name of the University before the NFL match because of that,” Hopkins recently wrote on an Instagram post. “I join the voices of students and faculty who have restarted this petition to change the name of Calhoun Honors College. I urge all Clemson students, soccer players, and alumni to join us, so that the younger generation of black leaders can be proud of the institution where they graduated. Now is the time for change. “

As for Swinney, he defended himself and his program in a video on Monday posted on the school’s athletics department website.

Swinney, who led the Tigers to the two national championships in 2016 and 2018, said his assistant Danny Pearman, who apologized for using n-words in conversations with DJ Greenlee during 2017 practice, used n-words, but did not call him an n-word linebacker. Greenlee later confirmed to The State newspaper that Pearman used the word, but did not call him.

Swinney, who said he supported the Black Lives Matter movement, also explained in the video that he had “Football Matters shirts for” several years “after being given to coaches by the National Football Foundation as a promotional item around 2014, adding criticism was” an attack on my character ” and “very sad.”