Clemson Football: Dabo Swinney is going to protect his players; it’s who he is.

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has been much more critical of the media and disrespect for the Tiger program as of late.

Dabo Swinney has had a cluster of interviews and press conferences as of late talking about the disrespect from the national media when it comes to Clemson football.

Swinney has pointed out the double-standard set forth by the CFB Playoff. He noted how if Clemson football lost a game, the Tigers would be out, but Georgia lost to the same team [South Carolina] and the Bulldogs are still squarely in the mix.

He has spent time talking about how media members are paying attention to the Clemson football team as a whole and coming to the defense of his team on several different occasions.

While this certainly seems like a motivation tool for Swinney to use as his team heads into the postseason, this also has to do with something that matters deeply to the Clemson football coach: His players.

More so than any of the comments Dabo Swinney has made, the one thing that has stuck out to me has to do with how he’s come to the defense of his players time and time again. Over the course of this season, he’s done it plenty of times. When Trevor Lawrence was seemingly struggling, Swinney defended him. When Travis Etienne had that short streak without any touchdowns, Swinney came to his defense.

This has only been amplified here in the last week with his comments, pointing out the disrespect from the national media.

While his comments are certainly motivational in nature and directed at his team, I believe there’s a small portion of these that are directed at those who decide individual awards.

Because no one nationally is keeping up with Clemson football and watching the games, Swinney feels they missed out on some players.

Travis Etienne wasn’t nominated as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, despite leading the nation in yards per carry.

Trevor Lawrence isn’t considered a top-five quarterback by many national media, despite the tear he has been on since the middle of the season.

Isaiah Simmons has been the nation’s most consistent and prolific defensive player, but he’s had to take a backset to Chase Young (Ohio State) all season and hasn’t gotten any attention in the Heisman discussion.

There are plenty of other examples I could use, as well.

I think the frustration we are seeing from Dabo Swinney doesn’t necessarily have all to do with the CFB Playoff race. I believe part of this is Swinney protecting his players.

He wants to see them flourish. He wants to celebrate with them and see them get the credit and notoriety they deserve, not just as a team, but individually, as well. To this point, he doesn’t believe they’ve gotten that.

It really comes down to that simple fact: Dabo Swinney is going to stick up for his players. It’s who he is.