CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson’s Dabo Swinney joined the list of football coaches bashing the possibility of former pros being allowed to return to play in college this season, calling it a “joke” and “embarrassing” as he prepares to play the team at the center of the controversy.
“I just think it’s embarrassing where we’re at in college football — and we’ve been there for a while, so,” Swinney said ahead of Clemson’s season opener at No. 11 LSU on Saturday night.
Former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright began practicing this week at LSU under first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, although the former Ole Miss player is not expected to play this week because of the NCAA’s acclimatization protocol.
Whether Wright or other players who spent part of this offseason with NFL clubs — a list that also includes defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and defensive back Blake Cotton — will ever play for LSU or anyone else remains undecided. All Power Four conferences, along with three of the Group of Six conferences, have barred pro players from returning to college football. That stance has resulted in court challenges.
Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for LSU this offseason, has been criticized for the school’s decision to actively recruit former NFL players. He defended the decision Monday by saying his decisions are made in “the best interest of the players that sit in this team room and not for my reputation.”