Paul Finebaum says he has changed his mind on Dabo Swinney statement he previously criticized

The Paul Finebaum-Dabo Swinney saga has taken another turn. After Finebaum said Swinney’s statement “fell way short of what I was looking for and what most reasonable people were looking for,” during a Monday evening appearance on “SportsCenter,” the talk show host and ESPN analyst said differently in a Tuesday morning appearance on “First Take.”

“When I heard it last night, I reacted viscerally,” Finebaum said on Tuesday’s show. “I was upset. I asked the question, why did it take so long? I started thinking overnight. I started trying to do what I’ve been telling other people to do. Listen instead of react. Overnight, I changed my mind. In the end, Dabo Swinney addressed it, whether a week after the fact, who cares? We’ve been talking about being too light on so many things for so long. The time doesn’t matter. He did it. And I believe it.

“I know Danny Pearman. I don’t believe he’s a bad person. I know Dabo Swinney is a very good person. I’ve been around him since he was in high school and college. In the end, he put this to bed. Maybe not exactly like I would have preferred. But who cares what I prefer? He was there. I wasn’t. In the end, he’s put a bow on it. He’s ended the conversation and I give him credit for that.”

Swinney’s lengthy statement came after it was revealed that Pearman, a Clemson assistant, had used the N-word in practice a few years ago. The Clemson head coach faced more criticism after he was photographed in a “Football Matters” shirt this weekend, which some took as disrespectful toward the Black Lives Matter movement.

While it’s doubtful Swinney will be calling into the “Finebaum Show” any time soon, it appears the host is ready to close the book on the latest controversies.

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.