Once again Clemson football leads college football on and off the field.
Saturday night as Clemson football took the field against the University of Virginia, fans took notice of the different nameplates that many of the players were wearing.
They had words such as “matters”, “love”, “peace”, “together”, and “equality”. Players had the choice to have any of these words in place of their last names and more than 70 percent of the 120 players on the roster chose to do just that.
No other team in college football had done this as of Saturday night.
If you have a complaint about the nameplates, keep it to yourself.
— Rubbing The Rock (@RubbingTheRock) October 4, 2020
Clemson football continues to set the example.
We have seen other leagues, like the NBA, but Clemson football was the first in college football, which should not shock anyone. While President Donald Trump took credit for bringing college football back during Tuesday night’s Presidential debate, in reality, it was Trevor Lawrence and Darien Rencher.
A lot of credit goes to the Clemson football players and staff for their willingness to use their primetime platform in order to make their beliefs and stances to a much larger audience but doing so in a subtle manner that didn’t detract from their overall message.
The Tigers also continue to have words such as “equality” painted on their field.
Clemson football continues to lead college football as they navigate a new era in college athletics where athletes are able to use their names and platforms to encourage fans to do things like vote and love – you know very basic things that people in our country are afforded the opportunity to do.
While some may hate this, I love that Coach Swinney just isn’t saying he is all-in, rather he is showing that he is all-in by letting his players use all the tools at their disposal to continue to make positive changes throughout their communities.
As you know, Clemson has players from coast to coast, so that is a lot of eyes and hearts that they are able to touch.