When it comes to the ACC’s guidelines and protocols for COVID-19, Dabo Swinney thinks Florida State’s administration must have amnesia.

Clemson’s head coach was not happy with FSU’s decision to cancel Saturday’s game in Tallahassee because of COVID-19 reasons.

“This game was not canceled because of COVID. It was just an excuse to cancel the game,” he said.

Swinney and Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich said Sunday night they did everything the ACC outlined for its member institutions to follow in its COVID-19 protocols.

Florida State’s medical personnel, however, still felt uncomfortable and decided they did not want their players to play because they were concerned about possible contact tracing issues. Clemson tried to reassure Florida State it was fine.

Swinney confirmed this was not the first time Clemson has sent a player home the night before the game after learning of a positive result. He also used Trevor Lawrence’s situation as an example of how Clemson has followed the protocols.

“You know Trevor Lawrence practiced all week too. He practiced all week,” Swinney said. “The only day he did not practice was Thursday. BC did not have a problem coming down here to play. They had no problem. Notre Dame was not worried about any lingering effects because Trevor practiced all week.

“Again, guys, anybody who test positive has been practicing and playing prior to the positive. I don’t care what day it is. I don’t care if it is a Monday or a Wednesday. If you tested on Monday, then you just played a game on Saturday. It is the same for every test. Like I said, BC did not have a problem rolling down here and playing. He practiced all week. The only day he did not practice was Thursday.”

Clemson was using proper social distance with the player in question at Florida State and then isolated him and sent him home once it got the positive result Friday night.

Earlier in the week, the player showed symptoms and did not practice on Monday and Tuesday. After his test came back negative, he practiced on Wednesday and Thursday after he got a negative result from Wednesday’s test.

On Friday he took the independent test required by the ACC and the result came back Friday night that he was positive.

Swinney said he found out Florida State did not want to play the game Saturday morning.

“But I did not know anything about all of this until early Saturday morning that there was concern not to play because we had a positive Friday test, which again, we all knew coming into the season that could happen,” he said. “Which is why the rosters were expanded, so we could and more in particular have more offensive linemen travel because that is the one position that we have a number attached to.”

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