While evaluating tampering in college football, Dabo Swinney stressed the need for repercussions. Speaking at ACC Football Kickoff, he pointed to the rules at the processional level to make his point.
Swinney and Clemson found themselves at the center of a tampering case this offseason after the Tigers head coach went public with allegations against Ole Miss over the recruitment of Luke Ferrelli. The school has been in touch with the NCAA and an investigation remains ongoing.
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There were other instances of schools saying their players heard from programs before officially entering the portal, as well. While the NCAA said it’s considering changes to its tampering rules, Swinney argued it’s not going away until there are stronger punishments.
“I think there’s rules in all these other leagues. … There’s financial consequences, there’s suspensions, firings, whatever,” Swinney told reporters in a breakout session. “Then, there’s contracts and stuff like that. There’s lots of things that can be put in place.
“To this point, it’s rampant because there hasn’t been consequences. I don’t know that there’s been much fear of consequences. We’ve got to get some order.”
Dabo Swinney: ‘There has to be some type of order’
Earlier this offseason, speaking with On3’s Chris Low, Dabo Swinney made clear the situation isn’t personal against either Ferrelli or Golding. Instead, he just wants “clarity” about the rules in the modern era.
During his session with reporters Thursday, Swinney also joined the voices calling for Congress to take action with regard to college athletics. The Protect College Sports Act is going through the legislative process in the Senate, and Section 117 of the bipartisan bill includes language around tampering.
If the bill becomes law, schools would not be able to contact athletes who are currently enrolled at another university. That help from Congress would be part of the plan to bring “order” to the landscape, Swinney said.
“We’re probably going to need some Congressional help for that,” Swinney said. “There has to be some type of order put in place. The tampering is a problem.
“There needs to be consequences or you just say to heck with it, don’t worry about it and call it like it is: the ‘Wild Wild West.’ One way or another.”