Clemson's Dabo Swinney rips into caller over 'appreciation' - ESPN

Amid his worst season in more than a decade, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney lambasted a caller to his radio show Monday after being asked to defend his team's performance given his status as one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.

«You're part of the problem,» Swinney told the caller, who introduced himself only as «Tyler in Spartanburg.» «The appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation. That's the problem. We've won 12 10-plus win seasons in a row. That's happened three times in 150 years. Clemson ain't sniff a national championship for 35 years; we've won two in seven years. And there's only two other teams that can say that: Georgia and Alabama. Is this a bad year? Yeah, and it's my responsibility. Take 100% responsibility for it. But all this bull crap you're thinking, all these narratives you read. Listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want, and you can apply for the job. And good luck to you.»

Monday's tirade was the latest — and most aggressive — response from Swinney amid growing criticism of his handling of the Clemson program, which will miss the College Football Playoff for the third straight year after a 4-4 start to the season.

In a radio show appearance two weeks ago, Swinney lamented the Clemson «bandwagon» fans and suggested that a few losses might help get rid of bad fans who have lost an appreciation for winning. The Tigers then lost in overtime to Miami and, last week, by a touchdown to NC State.

Swinney went on Monday to defend his salary, noting that upon his hiring in 2009, he was among the lowest-paid coaches at a major program.

«I started as the lowest-paid coach in this business [and] I worked my ass off,» Swinney said. «I'm not gonna let this smart-ass kid get on