Dabo Swinney defended his decision to not give former quarterback Kelly Bryant a national championship ring, stating it was because he no longer part of the Tigers team.
“He wasn’t on the team. You’ve gotta be on the team to get a ring,” Swinney told ESPN. “I love Kelly and appreciate what he did for us, but he decided to move on.”
Bryant, who is now a graduate transfer at Missouri, transferred in late September after the head coach announced that then freshman Trevor Lawrence would be the starting quarterback.
Bryant had started the first four games of the season, but a tough decision had to be made once he had a four-touchdown game against Georgia Tech. Lawrence would go on to lead the Tigers to a 15-0 record and a blowout National Championship win over the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Bryant called Lawrence being named starter “kind of a slap in the face” to everything he’d done for Clemson.
Swinney stated he has not spoken to Bryant since his departure.
Bryant was 16–2 as a starter at Clemson.
