Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney during the second quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 29, 2023. Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Clemson HC Dabo Swinney attends basketball game with black eye

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 1/6/24

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney attended Saturday’s basketball game against North Carolina, which was not all that exciting as the Tigers lost, 65-55. What was interesting, however, was the enormous shiner Swinney was sporting beneath his left eye.

ESPN cameras caught him in the stands with an extremely noticeable black eye. There was, of course, no explanation, though it was not there last week when Swinney coached the Tigers to victory in the Gator Bowl.

Looks like it's been a rough week for Dabo Swinney pic.twitter.com/uSZIqmRyWG

— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) January 6, 2024

Naturally, Swinney’s appearance launched a host of theories, from talk of bar fights, battles against Georgia, and even a showdown with Tyler from Spartanburg, a fan that Swinney went off on on a radio show in October.

Sadly, with no explanation, we are left to guess.

Swinney is coming off of a rough season at Clemson, at least by his standards. The Tigers failed to win ten games for the first time since 2010, so the black eye is almost a fitting metaphor. Still, his optimism is as strong as ever, so hopefully for the Tigers, this is not some form of foreshadowing.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: