Clemson coach Dabo Swinney doubled down Tuesday on his emphatic monologue from a day earlier, saying too many fans had grown unappreciative of winning and insisting he would not allow the criticism surrounding the Tigers' 4-4 start to «steal my joy.» «I've got a long way to go in this profession,» Swinney said in response to a question about the difference between fair and unfair criticism. «If they want me back here, I'm going to fight like crap to get this back to the standard. »But I'm not going to let anything steal my joy of what I do.
It doesn't mean I'm happy, but I've got a lot of joy in what I do. I'm not going to let winning become a relief. I'm not going to allow that to happen.
The fun should be in the winning, and if it gets to where it's not fun anymore, hey, we'll go from there." Swinney ranted Monday night against a caller to his radio show, who introduced himself only as «Tyler from Spartanburg,» about a lack of appreciation after so many years of success — a tirade he referred to as «an Old Testament answer» to an «Old Testament question.» Swinney later suggested he would continue coaching for another 15 years, even if that wasn't at Clemson.
On Tuesday, Swinney picked up where he left off, arguing a section of the fan base had become overly critical in attacking his coaches and players. «I'm not going to let one season, when I know exactly what the issues are, and a bunch of great kids and great coaches, I'm not going to let one season dampen that,» Swinney said. «I'm going to fight for this program, and hopefully we can get back to some appreciation around here. »It's frickin' hard to win.