--- title: Clemson Tigers Football Coach Dabo Swinney is Wrong on Pay description: Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney earned $1.4 million in bonuses on his team's run to the championship but opposes paying players canonical: https://time.com/4630530/clemson-alabama-national-championship-dabo-swinney-pay/ author: Sean Gregory article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-10T22:01:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:45.419Z article:section: Sports og:title: Clemson Tigers Football Coach Dabo Swinney is Wrong on Pay og:description: Dabo Swinney earns millions but opposes paying players og:url: https://time.com/4630530/clemson-alabama-national-championship-dabo-swinney-pay/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfd560b03663c01fc/6988b50b428a9e8412cd56f1/gettyimages-631373688.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: CFP National Championship og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Clemson Tigers Football Coach Dabo Swinney is Wrong on Pay twitter:description: Dabo Swinney earns millions but opposes paying players twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfd560b03663c01fc/6988b50b428a9e8412cd56f1/gettyimages-631373688.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # One Reason Not to Celebrate Clemson's Triumphant Win > Sponsored content. 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The Clemson Tigers have avenged last year's loss, defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship._  by [Sean Gregory](https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/)  ## Sean Gregory Senior Correspondent Jan 10, 2017 10:01 PM UTC  Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts after his team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 9, 2017. Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts after his team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-31 to win the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Tampa, Florida, on Jan. 9, 2017.Streeter Lecka—Getty Images  by [Sean Gregory](https://time.com/author/sean-gregory/)  ## Sean Gregory Senior Correspondent Jan 10, 2017 10:01 PM UTC The [Clemson University](http://time.com/4606863/college-football-top-25-2016-ranked-by-academics/) football team and its coach, Dabo Swinney, rule the sports world today. And for good reason. In last night’s [national championship game](http://time.com/4629874/clemson-alabama-college-football-ncaa-final/?xid=homepage), the Tigers fought back from a two-touchdown first-half deficit and a 10-point fourth quarter hole to knock off Alabama, college football’s [reigning dynasty](http://bamahammer.com/2017/01/06/alabama-dynasty-already-greatest-time/), 35-31\. The instant classic went down to the final second, when star quarterback Deshaun Watson [threw a 2-yard touchdown pass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkIpWHDq-8A) to give Clemson its first national title since 1981. Swinney and Watson shared an [emotional momen](http://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/watch-dabo-swinney-deshaun-watson-get-emotional-after-winning-national-title/)t together after the draining title game. “Maybe now everybody will understand when I tell them, Deshaun Watson is the best player in the country,” Swinney said in a post-game interview. Hard to argue with that one, no matter what the Heisman voters said. But another of Swinney’s stances is far less worthy of celebration. Amid all the plaudits following the big win, a remark Swinney made in 2014 about compensating players made the rounds on social media: > [](https://twitter.com/bclelandgt/status/818696590370058240) Yes, Swinney indeed [said that](http://www.postandcourier.com/sports/clemson-s-darius-robinson-featured-on-al-jazeera-america-program/article%5Fa20c68a3-8a34-56d6-a156-052846a8ffa8.html). And his remark is a stark reminder that college football is drowning in hypocrisy. Swinney earned $1.4 million in bonuses during Clemson’s run to the championship: $150,000 for winning the ACC title, $150,000 for winning 11 games, $400,000 for making the four-team College Football Playoff, another $400,000 for reaching the championship, $100,000 for winning the championship, and $200,000 for finishing ranked in the top 5\. He earns $4.55 million in base pay. Last year, he even [trademarked](http://time.com/4171504/dabo-swinney-clemson-coach-who-trademarked-bring-your-own-guts/) a slogan: BYOG. Bring Your Own Guts. Clemson’s football team, according to the [most recent federal records](https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/details), generates $44 million in annual revenues, and a $19.8 million profit for the school. (It’s also worth noting that under Swinney, football players actually graduate and Clemson came in in second, behind only Stanford, in [one academic ranking](http://time.com/4606863/college-football-top-25-2016-ranked-by-academics/) of the top 25 programs.) Yet the only cash the players receive is a small stipend designed to help cover living expenses that even full scholarships don’t always cover. The [_New York Times_ ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/05/sports/ncaafootball/pets-car-repairs-and-mom-how-football-players-use-their-stipends.html?%5Fr=0)reported that Clemson players receive $388 monthly during the academic year. One player spent his haul on car repairs, another sends the check to his mom. Swinney makes a common but confounding argument when taking a hard line against players receiving a bigger cut of the college football revenue pie. He equates economic fairness with entitlement, as if players should be grateful for the opportunity rather than a fair share of the revenue they are directly responsible for generating. Nor is the assumption that an adult will become entitled when compensated for their labor particularly well-founded. Swinney, for one, doesn’t appear to have had his work-ethic compromised by his contract. Here’s hoping that Swinney, in the wake of his greatest coaching moment, changes his tune on player compensation. 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