One of the biggest off-field stories last week was the now infamous Tyler from Spartanburg’s phone call to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.
Tyler criticized Swinney and his massive contract during the coach’s call-in radio show.
Swinney fired right back at Tyler and called him a “smart-ass kid” who has been spoiled by the Tigers success.
Dabo Swinney gets fired up on his radio call-in show after obnoxious caller asks how he has a $10.5 million salary, calls him arrogant, insults his coaching hires, and compares him to former Clemson HC Tommy Bowden. pic.twitter.com/pfu164e49l
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) October 31, 2023
Following the controversial exchange, Larry Williams of Tiger Illustrated managed to connect with Tyler, a 29-year-old legal intern and long-time Tigers fan, who shared his side of the story.
Tyler shared that his own girlfriend reamed him out for what he said to Swinney.
“I hate to sound like a scolding parent, but I hope this is a lesson about thinking things through before doing them. The fact that the Internet thinks you’re a child is not the best look. Not meaning to be harsh. You’ve always been respectful to adults,” she texted him.
Reflecting on the incident, Tyler opened up about his motivations for the call, emphasizing his frustration with Swinney’s post-game analysis and the team’s recent performance.
“Tact is not one of my strong suits, especially when I’m upset. But as I listened to Dabo last night and sat through his spiel about how we’d be 8-0 without the turnovers and ‘if, if, if,’ it upset me,” Tyler said.
“I want to be clear: I’m not blaming Dabo at all for the way I handled it. I’m just explaining what happened. If I had to do it over again, I’d have been way more respectful,” he added.
Expressing both admiration and frustration, Tyler asserted his continued support for Swinney’s tenure at Clemson but contested the coach’s portrayal of him as a fair-weather fan.
“I love him and am so thankful for what he’s done. He’s a great guy, a great human. I’m so thankful for these things,” Tyler said. “But I don’t like hearing that I’m a part of the 1 percent. And also, I’m not a kid. I was going to every Clemson game before he was here.”
On last night's call from Tyler from Spartanburg, Dabo Swinney says: "I had some idiot try to give me the Old Testament and he got an Old Testament answer. Y'all print that one" Says he's always gonna fight for his program. "That's why most coaches don't take calls (live)"
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) October 31, 2023
In response, Tyler admitted to feeling stung by Swinney’s sharp remarks, conceding, “Call me sensitive, but he really got after me today hahaha. Definitely brought it on myself. I should’ve thought this through more.”
Dabo Swinney: "Some people say I'm stubborn. I say I'm convicted in my beliefs"
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) October 31, 2023
To Swinney and Clemson’s credit, the Tigers picked up a massive win over the weekend as they took down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-23.
Where do you stand on the whole back-and-forth?
Was Swinney too sensitive to the criticism?
Will he be able to be bring the Tigers back to an elite level???
