Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was “pissed” when a member of the media texted him Tuesday night following a report that quarterback Trevor Lawrence had confirmed he had an MRI done on his shoulder following the second-ranked Tigers win over Texas A&M on Sept. 7.
“I am hot about this because I got a text at home and I am pissed about it,” he said following Wednesday’s practice behind the Allen Reeves Football Complex in Clemson. “Like, ‘Oh my God! There is some conspiracy going on.’
“No! I tell you the truth. I try to be transparent and honest. If there was something wrong with him. I would let people know. There is nothing wrong with him. Zero! Nothing!”
Swinney did confirm his star quarterback had a bruised shoulder, but he was still hot as he went on a rant that lasted a little more than three minutes. He did not indicate who it was that texted him, but he did confirm after the media session that it was no one who was with us at the Allen Reeves Football Complex on Wednesday.
As for Lawrence, Swinney was not confirming the MRI.
“I am not confirming any of that and I don’t want anybody texting me anymore,” he said. “I had a media guy text me the other night about it. That is private information. That is private information. If I want anybody to know our medical stuff, I will tell you. We will put it on our injury report.
“People texting me on my phone to ask me for information that is information that I would not put out unless it was something that needed to be put out, that is bad business. That is not how we do things.”
Clemson’s head coach said there is nothing wrong with Lawrence’s shoulder. The sophomore has been under scrutiny through the first five games because he has not lived up to the lofty expectations some in the media and fans had for him coming into the 2019 season.
“He has met every expectation. We are 5-0 and he has done a great job,” Swinney said. “We are throwing for more yards per game then we threw last year at this time. Scoring the same amount as we did last year. Our third down percentage is higher. But I am not getting into medical information that I don’t put out there, especially something that he gets bruised in the Texas A&M game.
“There is nothing wrong with him. Nothing. Zero. He had his best game at Syracuse. He played a great game up there. There ain’t nothing wrong with him.”
Lawrence threw for a career-high 395 yards and three touchdowns in Clemson’s 41-6 win at The Dome on Sept. 14. However, he completed just 22 of 39 passes and threw two interceptions.
The ACC’s preseason Player of the Year has completed 61.8 percent of his passes this year for 1,131 yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. With news he had a bruised shoulder, some are speculating that the injury has caused him not to be as efficient this season.
“There is nothing wrong with Trevor and I don’t like it when people try to create drama,” Swinney said. “There is no drama on this team. So, what do people do, they want to create drama. It is the most unbelievable thing. There is no drama. There is nothing wrong with Trevor. If we did an MRI or didn’t that is nobody’s business. We do MRIs all the time. All the time. All the time!
“If a guy gets a bruise on his knee, we do an MRI. If a guy bruises his elbow, we do an MRI. It drives me crazy. There is no drama on our team, so we have to create some drama. ‘Oh, Trevor missed a throw, he must be hurt.’ No! He is human. He is human.”
Swinney said what he can confirm is that Lawrence is a great football player and a great leader and there is nothing wrong with his throwing shoulder.
“People creating stuff, whether he had one or not, why does anyone need to know? He had a bruise. He had a bruise,” Swinney said.
Lawrence has rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries so far this season and has scored four rushing touchdown, which is currently second on the team. Against Syracuse, the week after the A&M game, he ran the ball 4 times for 42 yards and scored a touchdown.
He rushed for a career-high 45 yards on 11 carries and had another rushing touchdown in the Tigers’ win at North Carolina on Sept. 28.
“If there was something wrong with him, would we be running him on the goal line. He has run great,” Swinney said. “There ain’t nothing wrong with him. If he missed a throw, it is because he missed a throw, period. If he made a mental mistake, he made a mental mistake. He is not hurt. There is nothing wrong with him. He is not whatever. People just need to relax. He is human.”
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