In the movement to try and end racial injustice and police brutality, Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney has been under fire for a shirt he wore. While many have been promoting the Black Lives Matter movement, he wore one that had the message “Football matters.”
He has been called out and criticized by many. He has been called anything from unclassy to racist. However, Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins came to his defense.
Hopkins, who is among those trying to get the name of John C. Calhoun removed from Clemson’s honor college because he was a slave owner and advocated the expansion of slavery, attended Clemson and was coached by Swinney.
Hopkins made it clear on social media his former college coach is not racist.
He said on Twitter that Swinney never was racist toward any player and was great as a football coach and a mentor.
Hopkins is not shy about speaking out about social issues and injustice. The fact he so quickly is defending Swinney shows the sort of character the Clemson coach has as a person.
Whether the shirt was in bad taste for the times, that is a different issue, but based on Hopkins’ endorsement of him as a man, it would appear there was nothing malicious about it.
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