Clemson players support Swinney

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has defended both his own conduct and that of his top assistant in recent days. Now, some of his players are voicing support for their coach.

Swinney recently addressed assistant Danny Pearman's use of a racial slur in 2017, and he also spoke about the "Football Matters" T-shirt he was spotted wearing while protests continue around the world in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody.

Former Tigers receiver DeAndre Hopkins took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend Swinney.

Current Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence also voiced his support for his coach.

"I've had a lot to learn and it's been cool to learn from these guys. I think with coach Swinney, it's easy to judge some things he does. But the biggest testament to who he is are the people around him every day and the glowing views we have of the person he is," Lawrence said, according to ESPN's David M. Hale.

Christian Wilkins addressed the situation on Thursday.

"I see a lot of different things being said about (Swinney) that I don't necessarily agree with because I know him personally," the Miami Dolphins defensive end said. "I know his intentions and I know his heart and I know he's a great coach, and he's passionate about developing young men on and off the field.

"Granted, he might not have said all the right things, he might have done some things that people disagree with and that maybe I disagree with. But that just shows where someone like me could really be a help to coach Swinney, too, just as someone who's close with him and as someone who loves him, continue to help educate him, just have those conversations with him about things going on with him and the media as well."