Steve Spurrier delivers blunt message to Dabo Swinney about NIL tampering

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made headlines recently when he made tampering claims about the SEC’s Ole Miss. On January 23, Swinney held a press conference and he brought receipts.

The press conference and Swinney’s claims were celebrated by fans while some questioned the timing of this public airing of dirty laundry.  According to CBS Sports, former Florida and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier didn’t hold back with his retort to Swinney’s claims.

"I thought by now somebody would've told Dabo, 'Dabo, there ain't no rules anymore,'" Spurrier said Monday during a Zoom call with reporters ahead of his induction into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

Swinney’s concern stems from the Luke Ferrelli case in which Swinney claims Ferrelli was under contract with Clemson. After which, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding knew of that status and contacted Ferrelli anyway.

Despite being enrolled at Clemson, Ferrelli opted to flip his commitment to Ole Miss. Losing Ferrelli seemed to be the catalyst for Swinney’s press conference. After which, it was reported by CBS that Swinney turned over his evidence to the NCAA and the SEC conference.

Per NCAA rules, Ole Miss contacting Ferrelli after he transferred to Clemson while he was signed and enrolled would constitute a rules violation. That violation could carry fines and recruiting restrictions. However, Spurrier questioned how much those violations are being enforced.

"They're still on the books, I guess, where you can't do it after this date or that date," Spurrier said. "... But I don't know if they're ever going to enforce any rules now or not."

Swinney has been one of the bigger names in college football that has been vocal about his resistance to the new college football landscape. Later in Spurrier’s comments, he focused on the unwillingness to adapt the changing times.

"I think Dabo has learned now he's got to start paying his players just like everybody else is," Spurrier said. "Or you'll get left behind. You can complain, but I don't know how good it's going to do."

There has been no official comment by the NCAA or the SEC on where Swinney’s claims stand.

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