Dabo Swinney withdraws from Palmetto Family Council event
CLEMSON — Dabo Swinney said Wednesday he’s canceling his appearance at a Palmetto Family Council fundraiser next week, amidst controversy the past few days swirling around the Clemson football coach and an organization opposing gay marriage among other political topics.
In a three-paragraph statement released to The Post and Courier, Swinney explained he was under the impression he was being named the council’s “South Carolina Family Champion of 2015” next Tuesday in recognition of his work with their All In Foundation.
The announcement of Swinney’s invitation Friday stirred up calls for his withdrawal from gay rights groups, a government leader and Clemson students.
“I had no idea that I was being invited into a political controversy. Recently, my scheduled participation in this event has been perceived incorrectly as an endorsement of certain viewpoints and entered the political arena,” Swinney said in the statement.
“I appreciate the recognition of my and the foundation’s efforts. However, after much thought, in order to avoid a distraction for the team and the entire football program, I’ve decided it is in the best interests of all involved that I not attend the event on June 2.”
Swinney said the Palmetto Family Council is “an organization with which I have no association” and expressed disappointment “that this has become a distraction for me, my team and many others.”
“I have been and continue to be very open about my personal beliefs,” Swinney said. “However, I do not inject those beliefs or the work of the foundation into the political process.”
Swinney said he has been out of town since last Thursday, the day before the Columbia-based Palmetto Family Council released news of his involvement in the event. Swinney finished the school’s annual Prowl and Growl summer tour in Mount Pleasant last week and was in Dallas on Tuesday night to receive the Gene Stallings Award recognizing the All In Foundation for raising funds and awareness for breast cancer and mental health.
“My acceptance of this (South Carolina Family Champion) award was to be on behalf of all the volunteers that make our foundation a success,” Swinney said. “The work of our foundation is intended to build a better community and be a positive influence.”
Swinney was in the news last summer when the Freedom from Religion Foundation denounced Swinney’s Christian messages while on the job as head football coach at a public, state-funded university. That controversy stemmed from an article by The Chronicle detailing the baptizing of former star receiver DeAndre Hopkins within the team’s indoor practice facility.
The Palmetto Family Council’s website states, “Over the years we have been involved in South Carolina’s Partial Birth Abortion Ban, the defeat of Video Poker, preserving marriage as between one man and one woman, defending religious liberties (i.e., school prayer, release time, etc.), and many other issues.”
Media organizations GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) and OutSports each called for Swinney to decline the invitation. So did House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, who released a statement Wednesday.
“We applaud Coach Swinney’s leadership and foresight on this very important issue. It’s a testament to his character as an individual and coach,” Rutherford said. “This is a sign of the significant progress the state of South Carolina has made with respect to tolerance and equal rights. I hope others follow Coach Swinney’s lead in standing up to groups like the Palmetto Family Council who seek to make discrimination legal and acceptable.”
A change.org petition was started by a Clemson student Friday to call for Swinney to withdraw from the event, saying “the mission and values of this group stand in direct opposition to those of the University and the student body.”
The petition had more than 1,400 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Palmetto Family Council board of trustees released a statement Wednesday, saying in part, “Unfortunately, recent false attacks from some angry liberal leaders in South Carolina have cast doubt on our organization, who we are and what we stand for. These false attacks have gone so far as to insinuate we are a ‘hate group’ that aims to harm South Carolinians. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Palmetto Family Council is a pro-family organization dedicated to helping make South Carolina a great place to live and raise a family. We are committed to defending religious liberty and constitutional freedoms, and we honor others that stand up for those same liberties.
“It was our intent to recognize Coach Dabo Swinney’s accomplishments, specifically the great work of his foundation, serving as a great role model, and for the strong testimony of his personal relationship with Christ. We understand Coach Swinney’s reluctance to engage in, or respond to, petty political attacks, and we certainly appreciate his principled leadership on and off the field. We will continue to promote his good work and recognize others that do the same.”
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