Dabo Sweeney calls "smart-ass" fans with high expectations "part of the problem"

[MU82]

"Tyler from Spartanburg," who describes himself as a lifelong Clemson fan and military veteran, complains on Dabo Sweeney's weekly radio show that the coach isn't living up to his $11.5M annual salary. Though he praised Sweeney for being a "man of faith," the fan said Sweeney has filled his staff with buddies, that the current team's 4-4 record is unacceptable, and that Sweeney lost his humility after the 2018 championship season.

Sweeney cuts Tyler off after a couple of minutes and launches into a diatribe against "people like you," beginning with:

"You're part of the problem. ... It's people like you ... the expectation is greater than the appreciation. And that's the problem."

Goes on to say:

"I'm sure you've never made any bad decisions. I'm sure you've lived a perfect life. ... To answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this frickin' business. And I am where I am because I've worked my ass off every single day. And I ain't gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you got a problem with that, I don't care. I work for the board of trustees, the president and the AD, and if they're tired of me leading this program, all they gotta do is let me know. I'll go somewhere else where there IS an appreciation."

https://twitter.com/marcryanonair/status/1719180554753417347?source=pulsenewsletter&campaign=8135278

Fun stuff!

[tower912]

Free speech.   The fan has a right to be an idiot.   The coach has a right to unload.

[lawdog77]

Did the caller propose to introduce Dabo to darkness?

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Dabo’s not wrong. But it’s not a good look.

[Uncle Rico]

"Tyler from Spartanburg," who describes himself as a lifelong Clemson fan and military veteran, complains on Dabo Sweeney's weekly radio show that the coach isn't living up to his $11.5M annual salary. Though he praised Sweeney for being a "man of faith," the fan said Sweeney has filled his staff with buddies, that the current team's 4-4 record is unacceptable, and that Sweeney lost his humility after the 2018 championship season.

Sweeney cuts Tyler off after a couple of minutes and launches into a diatribe against "people like you," beginning with:

"You're part of the problem. ... It's people like you ... the expectation is greater than the appreciation. And that's the problem."

Goes on to say:

"I'm sure you've never made any bad decisions. I'm sure you've lived a perfect life. ... To answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this frickin' business. And I am where I am because I've worked my ass off every single day. And I ain't gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you got a problem with that, I don't care. I work for the board of trustees, the president and the AD, and if they're tired of me leading this program, all they gotta do is let me know. I'll go somewhere else where there IS an appreciation."

https://twitter.com/marcryanonair/status/1719180554753417347?source=pulsenewsletter&campaign=8135278

Fun stuff!

Coaches melting down are fun. 

I’ll say this, Tyler was spoiled for a long time as a fan.  His question wasn’t melting down per se, but entitled fans are very amusing to me and Clemson fans have entered that rare stratosphere

[tower912]

Dabo’s not wrong. But it’s not a good look.

It is a great look.   

[brewcity77]

If high expectations from fans are part of problem, then I'm a massive problem for Marquette this year.

[WhiteTrash]

It is a great look.

To South Carolina fans.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

It is a great look.   

A coach yelling to a fan defending his salary when his team is 4-4 isn't great.

Regardless, he needs to adapt to how the game is changing. He isn't a fan of the transfer portal or of NIL. Remember this?

https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2022/12/21/clemson-dabo-swinney-god-nil-video

Nick Saban wasn't a fan of them either - or of spread offenses.  But he realized he had to evolve or the game was going to pass him by. Now he has a top 10 team in control of its playoff destiny. (After winning multiple national championships too.)

[tower912]

Stupid needs to be called out.    Just like here.

[WhiteTrash]

Stupid needs to be called out.    Just like here.

Agreed.

Seems Dabo didn't like being called out.

[Jockey]

Dabo’s not wrong. But it’s not a good look.

Should coaches be held accountable for a team’s success or lack there of? Do fans have a ‘right’ to complain?

Dabo is a prima Donna. Great recruiting classes aren’t paying off. And who cares how hard he worked to get there? Every Division 1 coach has worked hard to get where they are.

[JWags85]

Should coaches be held accountable for a team’s success or lack there of? Do fans have a ‘right’ to complain?

Dabo is a prima Donna. Great recruiting classes aren’t paying off. And who cares how hard he worked to get there? Every Division 1 coach has worked hard to get where they are.

Ive disagreed with a lot of Dabo's stances lately, and his aw shucks persona is pretty cloying, but he's not totally wrong here.

People like Tyler from Spartanburg forget where Clemson was pre-Dabo. Tommy West and Tommy Bowden had Clemson wallowing in mediocrity for 20 years.

The comment about post-2018 is prime spoiled fan idiocy. The year after his last national championship, they made the NCG again and lost to that monster of an LSU team.  The year after they only lost on the road to a top 5 ND team, in a game they played without Trevor Lawrence.  And they still made the playoff.

They struggled the year after Lawrence left cause DJ Uiagalelei turned out to not be a top tier QB.  But then last year bounced back and had a better year and rolled through the ACC.

This is their first truly disappointing year in over a decade.  But doofuses like Tyler call every year that isn't in the playoff absolutely unacceptable.  And the comment about his staff is pretty stupid too considering their OC last year was a Clemson lifer who disappointed and got fired to bring in TCU's OC who had no connection to Dabo or Clemson.

Calling out not deserving his salary when Clemson has been, at worst, a top 3 most successful program over the last decade, is just moronic fan behavior.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Should coaches be held accountable for a team’s success or lack there of? Do fans have a ‘right’ to complain?

Dabo is a prima Donna. Great recruiting classes aren’t paying off. And who cares how hard he worked to get there? Every Division 1 coach has worked hard to get where they are.

Of course coaches should be held accountable. They have bosses right? Tyler doesn't pay his salary.

[MU82]

Coaches melting down are fun. 

I’ll say this, Tyler was spoiled for a long time as a fan.  His question wasn’t melting down per se, but entitled fans are very amusing to me and Clemson fans have entered that rare stratosphere

This is about where I am on this, too.

The fan definitely sounded like a spoiled doofus, but a coach rarely "wins" attacking a fan like this.

As a person who doesn't care whether Clemson wins or loses (except this week, when of course I'll be rooting for them vs. ND), I was quite amused by the whole thing.

[lawdog77]

Doing a quick google search of Clemson football financials:
"The Clemson football program paid out $55,912,162 in expenses while making $63,120,884 in total revenue. On the plus side, this means that the program made $7,208,722 in net profit for the school."

Sounds like they have some money left over to pay the players and/or increase Dabo's salary.

[WhiteTrash]

I agree there are idiots everywhere especially in sport. I'd only ask that coaches and players handle the crazy and unwarranted praise the same way they do the dumb criticism.

If Dabo has been consistent in sharing the credit for Clemson's success and acknowledges he makes crazy amounts of money to coach a game, then I'm on his side to call out that fan. 

[WhiteTrash]

Doing a quick google search of Clemson football financials:
"The Clemson football program paid out $55,912,162 in expenses while making $63,120,884 in total revenue. On the plus side, this means that the program made $7,208,722 in net profit for the school."

Sounds like they have some money left over to pay the players and/or increase Dabo's salary.

$7M is only part of the equation. What's the ROI? If Clemson has $250M invested, it's not that great of a return.

I don't know the actual numbers, but just pointing out a $7M profit is not an absolute indicator of being great or good. Maybe it is, in fact, fantastic.

[Pakuni]

Ive disagreed with a lot of Dabo's stances lately, and his aw shucks persona is pretty cloying, but he's not totally wrong here.

People like Tyler from Spartanburg forget where Clemson was pre-Dabo. Tommy West and Tommy Bowden had Clemson wallowing in mediocrity for 20 years.

The comment about post-2018 is prime spoiled fan idiocy. The year after his last national championship, they made the NCG again and lost to that monster of an LSU team.  The year after they only lost on the road to a top 5 ND team, in a game they played without Trevor Lawrence.  And they still made the playoff.

They struggled the year after Lawrence left cause DJ Uiagalelei turned out to not be a top tier QB.  But then last year bounced back and had a better year and rolled through the ACC.

This is their first truly disappointing year in over a decade.  But doofuses like Tyler call every year that isn't in the playoff absolutely unacceptable.  And the comment about his staff is pretty stupid too considering their OC last year was a Clemson lifer who disappointed and got fired to bring in TCU's OC who had no connection to Dabo or Clemson.

Calling out not deserving his salary when Clemson has been, at worst, a top 3 most successful program over the last decade, is just moronic fan behavior.

Generally agree with much of what you say here, but I think last year was disappointing as well.
They opened the season #4 in the preseason poll and finished #13. They lost by three TDs to Notre Dame, got beat at home by South Carolina and got thumped by Tennessee in the bowl game. Yeah, they went undefeated in the ACC, but it was a very bad ACC last year.
Given the high bar and playoff expectations, it's fair to say a three-loss season in which you lose at home to your in-state rival and finish outside the top 10 is a disappointment for Clemson.

[Pakuni]

Saban handled it better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7L9jNwzkwA

[pbiflyer]

Tell me Dabo has never visited scoop withou telling me Dabo has never visited scoop. 

[Jockey]

Ive disagreed with a lot of Dabo's stances lately, and his aw shucks persona is pretty cloying, but he's not totally wrong here.

People like Tyler from Spartanburg forget where Clemson was pre-Dabo. Tommy West and Tommy Bowden had Clemson wallowing in mediocrity for 20 years.

The comment about post-2018 is prime spoiled fan idiocy. The year after his last national championship, they made the NCG again and lost to that monster of an LSU team.  The year after they only lost on the road to a top 5 ND team, in a game they played without Trevor Lawrence.  And they still made the playoff.

They struggled the year after Lawrence left cause DJ Uiagalelei turned out to not be a top tier QB.  But then last year bounced back and had a better year and rolled through the ACC.

This is their first truly disappointing year in over a decade.  But doofuses like Tyler call every year that isn't in the playoff absolutely unacceptable.  And the comment about his staff is pretty stupid too considering their OC last year was a Clemson lifer who disappointed and got fired to bring in TCU's OC who had no connection to Dabo or Clemson.

Calling out not deserving his salary when Clemson has been, at worst, a top 3 most successful program over the last decade, is just moronic fan behavior.

You’re not wrong, but for both coaches and players, it is what have you done for me lately. And criticism goes along with the job.

How many people are praising Matt Lefleur? The past is irrelevant. 13 win seasons are in the past.

[JWags85]

You’re not wrong, but for both coaches and players, it is what have you done for me lately. And criticism goes along with the job.

How many people are praising Matt Lefleur? The past is irrelevant. 13 win seasons are in the past.

For sure, but I think more of my point is that most of the criticism was dumb, and especially calling out his salary which is reflective of what he’s done for the program and his results.  He’s not taking a pay cut, he’s not going to be fired for having a bad season.  Calling him out for this is just deluded thinking, especially if he’s a lifelong Clemson fan.  He’s acting like Dabo is Jimbo Fisher who got paid a kings ransom and has truly done nothing.

Generally agree with much of what you say here, but I think last year was disappointing as well.
They opened the season #4 in the preseason poll and finished #13. They lost by three TDs to Notre Dame, got beat at home by South Carolina and got thumped by Tennessee in the bowl game. Yeah, they went undefeated in the ACC, but it was a very bad ACC last year.
Given the high bar and playoff expectations, it's fair to say a three-loss season in which you lose at home to your in-state rival and finish outside the top 10 is a disappointment for Clemson.

Totally fair and not wrong. But i think there is a difference between “we should be contending for a natty” and a disappointing season being falling short of that….and a truly “what the hell are you being paid for” level of bad which this year would classify as.

I think their biggest issue, besides losing Veneables, is they’ve missed on 2 QBs in a row post-Lawrence, as it stands . Klubnik is only his first year as a starter so maybe he figures it out.  And that’s tough to blame on Dabo, cause he was the top QB in the country and anyone would have taken him.

[The Lens]

If I am paying anyone 11.5 MM I fully expect them to withstand this type of criticism and handle themselves in a much more professional manner. Here Dabo just loses it.  Saban's reply was great, Dabo, was a child. 

Super entitled and annoying radio show call in fans...

To quote Don Draper...THAT'S WHAT THE MONEYS FOR 

[#UnleashSean]

If high expectations from fans are part of problem, then I'm a massive problem for Marquette this year.

Nah, you gotta join the crowd of barely brushing the top 25...