Amid the protests that have taken place nationwide, a former Clemson Tigers player voiced his displeasure about a 2016 incident where a current coach said the n-word. The incident was called out days ago, but it has gone unaddressed by head coach Dabo Swinney.
Kanyon Tuttle, a member of Swinney’s first national title team, accused Swinney of not addressing a practice incident, where an assistant used the N-Word during an argument with a player. Clemson associate head coach Dan Pearman has since apologized. “I repeated a racial slur I overheard when trying to stop the word from being used on the practice field. What I overheard, I had no right to repeat,” he wrote.
Tuttle has taken to Twitter once again, releasing an extremely strong statement about Swinney’s silence.
“I have been around Clemson University and Clemson Football my entire life. I have known both Coach Swinney & Pearman since I was little. I’m not saying they are racist; however, they represent a large population of our country. People who may mean no harm, but choose to be silent.
“With our country at such unrest, being without an opinion is simply not an option. With as much interaction as college coaches have with black players and their families, it’s insulting to have them ignore the obvious racism and prejudice the black community faces everyday. If people genuinely don’t understand that or the reason behind the protests, that is unfortunate.
“As the head coach of Clemson’s team, Coach Swinney, you should seek as much information and education as possible so you can understand. Upon doing so, I believe that you will realize the opportunity you have, as a white adult man, to be a major bridge for those people who fail to seek understanding of the black community from which a large portion of your players come from.
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“As a former player of your program, it’s disheartening to see the person who instilled ‘Best is Standard’ into the community, and preached to his players to always do right even if everyone else is doing wrong, fail to do the right thing when it comes to speaking up for your players’ rights. Many of your players have been loyal to the paw for the betterment of the brand. Your players deserve for you to return the favor and use your platform (the platform that so many black players have and still are helping you build) to protect our brand, the color of our skin.
“The senseless killing of black people is now right and you know that someone is not a threat just because of the color of their skin. Like you, we are all God’s creation and deserve to be treated as such, whether we wear a jersey or not.”
Tuttle is the son of Tigers Hall of Famer Perry Tuttle, a member of the 1981 national championship team.
