Clemson's Swinney: 'COVID was just an excuse' for FSU to cancel game

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney doesn't believe COVID-19 was why the Tigers' game against Florida State was called off.

"This game was not canceled because of COVID. COVID was just an excuse to cancel the game," Swinney said Sunday, according to David Hale of ESPN. "To me, the Florida State administration forfeited the game."

The ACC postponed Saturday's contest between Clemson and Florida State just hours before kickoff after the teams' medical staffs couldn't agree to continue with the game. The concern from the Seminoles stemmed from a symptomatic Tigers player testing positive for the virus Friday.

"The standard to cancel a game was not met," Swinney added, per Grace Raynor of The Athletic. "A guy testing positive on Friday does not cancel a game. I was on every committee call for months since March, and that was never the case."

Clemson reportedly was willing to move the game to Sunday or Monday, but Florida State declined. The contest would have marked the return of star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was sidelined the previous two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.

Clemson is 7-1 this season and is ranked fourth on the AP Poll.

Florida State, meanwhile, is off to a rough start after losing six of eight games.

The Tigers are set to return to the field next Saturday against Pittsburgh, while the Seminoles face Virginia.