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Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is in hot water with a former Tigers star. Two-time All-American Terry Kinard accused Swinney of mistreating his son, Jaden, a member of the football team.
Kinard took to Facebook to vent, blasting the coach about how he handled Jaden’s decision to transfer.
Jaden Kinard joined the Clemson team as a walk-on in 2022 according to his athletic bio. According to his father, he’s opted to transfer in pursuit of more playing time, though he wanted to stick with the Tigers throughout postseason preparations and their Gator Bowl appearance.
Terry Kinard was not happy with how Swinney handled that situation, saying he began “belittling” and “insulting” his son at practice, enough to make other team members uncomfortable.
“It became obviously personal, and it was obviously overkill. Other teammates that witnessed this tried to encourage Jaden by telling him to keep his head up.”
He noted that the “two-day public onslaught went far beyond anything resembling any kind of appropriate coach to athlete exchange.”
In the post, Kinard referenced the changing college football landscape and Dabo Swinney’s inability to adapt. The head coach’s approach to the transfer portal and NIL have landed strong criticisms from both fans and media over the last few years.
“A man’s true character is shown and will come out during the times of forced change. The landscape of college football is changing. Unfortunately, it appears as though our son Jaden (a scout team player), who had yet to get any real opportunities to perform on the football field, had to bear the brunt of Swinney’s frustrations with the changes.”
Terry Kinard was a safety for the Tigers, becoming a two-time consensus All-American. He helped Clemson win a national championship in 1981 before being selected in the first round of the ’83 NFL Draft.
Kinard played professionally for eight seasons, making the Pro Bowl in 1988 and winning a Super Bowl with the Giants.
Jaden Kinard plays the same position that his father did and will soon hope to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball elsewhere.
With all that’s transpired, Clemson no longer has the support of their superstar.
“Because of how Jaden was treated… The Kinard Family are no longer loyal Clemson Football Fans,” he closed. It will be interesting to see how Swinney responds.