‘You’re part of the problem’: Dabo Swinney unloads on random radio caller for asking about his huge salary, Clemson’s middling performance

Coming up on this week’s Tiger Calls: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney berates Tyler from Spartanburg, telling the caller he’s part of the problem, while saying he (Dabo) takes “100 percent responsibility” for his team’s 4-4 record. However, we’re not here to nitpick the entire 5-minute rant, because accountability and logic go out the window when you’re in the throes of a glorious, emotional tangent.

Here are some highlights for those of you who don’t want to put your earbuds in (shout out Yahoo Sports for the transcription).

“Hey Tyler, I’ve listened to enough of you, Tyler. You can have all your opinions that you want. I don’t know how old you are, don’t really care. But let me tell you something. We won 11 games last year.

“And you’re part of the problem, to be honest with you. Because that is part of the problem. It’s people like you — the appreciation, the expectation is greater than the appreciation. And that’s the problem.

“We’ve won 12 10-plus-win seasons in a row. That’s happened three times in 150 years. So if you wanna know why. Clemson ain’t sniffed a national championship for 35 years. We’ve won two in seven years. And there’s only two other teams that can say that: Georgia and Alabama. OK?”

Swinney makes a good point about the appreciation-expectation aspect, because when you’re in the running for national titles, every week is an audition for the playoff. The Tigers won 11 games a year ago, so there was no reason for the coach to heed the warning signs of possible regression.

That’s also why Swinney would say things like this:

“I have been a part of failure many times, but there ain’t one thing in my life that I’ve ever failed at, Ty-ler. Never. Alright? Ever.”

He went on to list all the feats he set his mind to, and subsequently accomplished. Wanted to get an education, got two degrees. Wanted to play at Alabama, earned a scholarship. Wanted to be a head coach, did that, too. Wanted to start a family, is now married with three children.

Thank god he stopped himself short of, “I wanted to marry an 8, ended up with a 9.5, Ty-ler.”

Swinney ended the diatribe with a great quasi-meltdown.

“I’m not gonna sit here and let you call in — I don’t care how much money I make. You ain’t gonna talk to me like I’m 12 years old. Gotta be freaking kidding me.”

The Clemson head man has come under fired recently for his hesitancy to embrace the transfer portal, sticking with his traditional approach. Not only did Dabo’s coaching peers cave to the pressure, but fellow ACC rivals did, as well.

Florida State — a team in the top five, and one Clemson would’ve beaten if it had a better Plan B at kicker than a guy enrolled in online courses — appears to have usurped the Tigers’ place atop the conference. And nobody at Clemson, at least not Swinney, or the fans, seems to be handling it very well.

I just want to thank Tiger Calls, Tyler from Spartanburg, and Dabo Swinney for giving the masses that moment of vulnerability, and comedy.