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Swinney sees tampering as issue in CFB, current rules creating mental health problems
Swinney says there is tampering in college football.

Swinney sees tampering as issue in CFB, current rules creating mental health problems


by - Senior Writer -

Dabo Swinney wants to set the record straight. He isn’t against the transfer, and in fact, he thinks it’s a good idea that allows players to have choices when it comes to finding a football program that fits their football and educational needs. What he doesn’t like is the fact that it leads to tampering and creates an unhealthy mental environment.

Swinney was a guest of 247Sports' Carl Reed last week, and he said the transfer portal has created some unintended consequences.

“The transfer portal is here and it isn't going anywhere. There are 3000 kids in there and most of them aren't going to have a home. They are going to have to do down a level or two because there just aren't enough scholarships,” Swinney said. “I think the portal is good from the aspect of kids being able to go somewhere else. I think that is good. I just think that there should be some parameters. The combination of the portal and NIL (Name/Image/Likeness deals for athletes) and tampering, we've created this environment in college football that's not healthy.

“Any adult that is really involved in it knows that. Very few people will say that because they are worried about getting criticized or somebody is going to write a bad article about them. But it's just not healthy. It's not healthy for young people, first of all. The whole situation is not healthy, because there is a lot of tampering. Because there are no consequences right now. We've created an environment where there are no barriers. There is no reason for pause. And when there are no consequences, there's no conscience.”

Swinney said the tampering – and lack of consequences – leads to bad decisions and allows adults to manipulate young people for their own gain. In this case, that means tampering, where college coaches actively recruit players who are on scholarship with another program.

“What is going on is you have a lot of young people making decisions for the wrong reasons. Young people by nature are not fully developed people from a maturity standpoint and emotional standpoint. Big picture. Whatever it is,” Swinney said. “I think it's good that kids have the freedom to go but there have to be some parameters that create a pause. And more importantly, stop the tampering that is going on because there are a lot of adults out there that are manipulating kids.”

Swinney also said it leads to mental health problems down the road.

“There is one thing that I know - mental health in college football and college athletics is a very understated thing. Most people really have no idea the mental health challenges that are going on in this world today, and you have young people whose identity is completely wrapped up in football,” he said. “That is not healthy, especially in our game. Our game has an extremely short shelf life. If you are playing football at 26 or 27, you are old.

“There are right reasons to go and make a change and I think it's great that we have created this opportunity, but kids are making decisions for the wrong reasons. We are teaching that the grass is greener, and the grass isn't greener, and I think graduation rates will go down and the mental health aspect will go up. I don't think that's good and I don't think that's healthy. For me, let them go wherever they want, but let's tie everything to education. You go to college to develop as a person and as a human being and as a man. At least that's what it should be.”

Swinney believes that rules should be put in place to stop tampering.

“We have to have some type of barrier to prevent them from making irrational, emotional, decisions based on the wrong things,” he said. “And more importantly it would stop the tampering. The tampering we have in college football is sad. That is the world we are living in. We have always been a relationship-driven program. I just signed my first portal guy ever, and he's a boomerang guy, who was in our program before. We are always going to recruit high school kids and always be developmental. We have a 98 percent graduation rate. We have always kept that mindset.”

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