Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney takes a holistic approach when it comes to all the players that put on a Tiger uniform and those lessons stay with them a lifetime.
Whether Clemson football players make it to the NFL is of no consequence to Coach Swinney. He wants them to graduate college and become great community players. The program has gone more than three years since they last had a player arrested and all current and former players are pillars in their respective communities.
It should come as no surprise that during a time of crises that former Clemson players are doing what they can for their communities, whether it be publicity for a small business, donating money to a great cause or helping to feed those that are without food.
Former Clemson football receiver DeAndre Hopkins was recently traded from the Houston Texans to the Arizona Cardinals. While he has stated he will miss Deshaun Watson and the fans of Houston, he is closer to his LA home and is excited to be given a fresh start.
Hopkins announced Friday that he was donating $150,000 to the Arizona coronavirus relief fund. Hopkins has been in Arizona for less than two weeks and is already taking action for his new community and setting quite the example and dedication to those less fortunate.
Speaking of Deshaun Watson, who had been traveling the world this offseason prior to the virus outbreak is again doing something great for the city of Houston as he and his foundation have donated meals to the Restaurant Workers Relief Program in Houston, which is providing nearly 300 meals a day for hospitality workers that suddenly found themselves without a means to pay bills and buy food.
There is no doubt that other current and former players are doing a lot more than this for their communities at a time when millions have suddenly found themselves in a situation that they never expected.
This is what Clemson football is all about, sacrificing. Sacrificing for your teammates, your family and your communities to help those that may have it worse than you do and the Clemson family could not be more proud of all these young men.