Copyright Newsweek
Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Duke Blue Devils this past Saturday, falling with a 46-45 final score in front of the home fans in Death Valley. Clemson defensive back Avieon Taylor was issued a pass interference penalty on a 4th-and-10 play in the fourth quarter, extending what ended up being Duke's game-winning touchdown drive. After the game, Swinney publicly criticized the officials for this "critical" call. "Some critical penalties," Swinney said. "I don't even know what to say about the last call. Y'all saw it. It shouldn't come down to that. We had plenty of opportunities to win the game, but that's one of the worst calls I've ever seen in a game, ever, in my entire coaching career. Ever." More Football: Deion Sanders Aims to Revive Colorado’s Season With ‘Common Sense’ Move On Monday, the ACC hit Swinney with a $10,000 fine and a public reprimand. Swinney doubled down on Tuesday, attacking the current state of officiating around the college football world. “In the meantime, we got gambling issues going on, people being suspended, all that kind of stuff, right? Yep. I mean, refs are people too. It ain’t just coaches and players," Swinney said, via On3 Sports. "And if they’re a part of the game, then by God, they ought to be a part of the game, and they ought to be a part of the accountability, and they ought to be a part of the consequences, not just behind some shadowy curtain like no, they ought to have to answer for it." More Football: George Pickens Likely Facing Additional NFL Punishment for ‘MNF’ Incident With Saturday's loss to Duke, Clemson drops to 3-5 on the season. Despite entering the year with College Football Playoff hopes and a No. 4 preseason ranking, Swinney and the Tigers are now battling for bowl eligibility. Clemson will face off against the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday before closing out the 2025 season with matchups against Louisville, Furman and South Carolina.
