Editorial

Dabo Swinney Says He’s OK With Players Making Money As Long As It’s Tied ‘To Graduation’

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David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
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Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney is OK with players being paid, but he only wants it to happen if they graduate.

There’s a lot of talk about players getting paid at the college level, and Swinney famously said he might quit if it ever happened. Well, it sounds like he’s softening his stance. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

“I’ve always been in favor of giving guys a lump sum. I just want to tie it to graduation,” Swinney told the media Thursday, according to ESPN.

While I appreciate Swinney’s stance, they’ll never tie players being allowed to profit to graduation. It’s not a bad idea because it incentivizes getting your degree, but it’s not going to happen.

Frankly, it shouldn’t be tied to graduation. If you’re a superstar as a freshman, then you should be allowed to profit as a freshman.

I’m not saying the school should write you a check. Naturally, that’d be absurd and unnecessary. However, you should be able to sign autographs for money and appear in commercials.

You shouldn’t have to wait until you graduate to see that money. It should happen as soon as somebody is willing to write you a check.

I really like Dabo Swinney. He’s a class act and a star coach, but he’s just wrong with this suggestion.