Harper: Swinney got what he deserved, not Bowden
Must admit, I was surprised to look on the ESPN ticker late last night and see that QB Cullen Harper’s alleged remark regarding Tommy Bowden’s firing included as a news item … especially when ESPN.com’s print writers reworded their story in attempt to clarify the remark later Monday.
Their initial story quoted Harper saying “It’s what he deserved,” then continued with Harper praising Swinney.
The next paragraph turned to Bowden, with Harper saying Bowden “tried to motivate us, but guys were off the bandwagon.”
For the record, Harper adamantly maintains the “deserved” comment is specifically being taken out of context in other publications.
“I was referring to Swinney being hired, not Bowden being fired,” Harper said.
To be sure, though, Harper is not backing off his displeasure with how he was personally treated.
In his weekly column for The Sporting News, he wrote:
“For most of this season, I don’t think everybody has been on the same page. Coach Bowden approached this job like he was a manager. He stayed off to the side, he let his coaches coach the players, and he was the motivator. After a while, people stopped buying into some of the things he was saying and ways he tried to get us prepared. Losing games made it worse. I think everybody is going to buy into (interim coach) Dabo (Swinney).”
And read between the lines all you want to on why he likes Swinney.
“When we got together as a team, I could tell that everybody was excited for a fresh start. Dabo is a very enthusiastic guy, a guy with real high character. He played on the 1992 national championship team at Alabama, and he relates to the players and what they go through on the field. The biggest thing with him is what you see is what you get. He’s not going to talk behind your back. He’s not going to bring stuff up in the media. He’s going to be honest with you every time.”
23 Comments to “Harper: Swinney got what he deserved, not Bowden”
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Clemson Beat writer Paul Strelow blogs about Clemson University athletics.
Dabo coud not “get what he deserved”…If Bowden didn`t get “what he deserved”…Please stop the spinning..am about to throw up!
You Clemson beat writers had a significant role in blowing up expectations especially regarding “talent”…That is going to be a shocker when the new coach (and it will not be Dabo…great guy but is not able to be “face of program”) talks about needing to start with “recruiting better players”…We have had “flash” but not consistent , substantative classes. Now we have an embarassing episode as though we needed that….we are already the butt of alotta jokes…especially w/ nat`l media. Harper and his dad showed their true colors and lack of character under pressure..please do not make “cover” for them.
Paul…How do you explain the Mike O`Cain reference by Harper?…let`s see you explain that away. Please answer the question.
All you Clemson fans are the same. As soon as it goes bad, you dump on everyone around. Even if Harper was talking about Bowden, you hate Harper so much that you will vilify and make this kids life miserable. Bowden was a jerk and Harper is an adult and has an opinion. Maybe you Clemson fans will wake up one day and actually root for your team instead of booing kids all over the place. Stay classy Clemson.
I hope this is the beginning of a long, slow, painful march to the bottom of the ACC. Couldn’t happen to a bigger bunch of idiots. Have fun!
First off, I’d explain it by saying that O’Cain comment was made by his dad, not Cullen.
Like I said, I don’t think Harper’s really backing down from his displeasure for how the situation was handled. I’m just relaying that Cullen suggests the specific “what he deserved” line was in reference to Dabo.
The latest blog is not in defense of anything Cullen said. It simply gives his side of the story.
I’m sure a lot of people believe it’s damage control, especially in light of the collection of comments by him and his dad.
But given that specific comment preceded a line about Dabo … and the whole quote apparently came from a text-message reply he sent to the ESPN reporter … I don’t think it’s beyond reason that the “deserved” comment was taken out of context.
Not saying it was, mind you.
But Cullen’s side is plausible.
cullen’s getting what he deserves by holding the clipboard saturday… truth be told, he’s actually getting a whole lot more than he deserves. I’d kick him off the team.
Gil, not sure where you keep getting that the Clemson beat writers were the ones blowing smoke up its preseason ranking. If anything, it was quite the opposite.
Take any poll at the time, and the majority of us certainly did not consider the Tigers a top-10 team. I can’t say anyone saw this coming, but I considered Clemson a top-15 to top-25 team. On the plus side, they had proven skill guys, which IMO put them atop the ACC simply by default. But I blogged at the time, this team still had the same weak spots as last year (O-line, LBs), deficiencies that injuries have certainly compounded.
I don’t recall any beat writer SAYING Clemson was that good. But it is our jobs to report where the Tigers were ranked and what expectations seemed to have grown to.
Bowden was spot-on when he said that the hype was merely the product of their supposed star power at QB, RB and WR.
I still don’t think many argue Clemson still possesses the talent to win the ACC. But once this train started downhill, it built momentum that culminated in the current trainwreck.
Harper’s getting what he deserved by not starting Saturday. he’s doing damage control for his selfish comments yesterday. OF COURSE quotes like that are taken out of context when you are told later you sound like a jerk. too little too late.
Paul, I enjoy these blogs and even more so your willingness to engage in the banter. You`ve made some good points. This is an emotional time for Clemson Tiger University.
Great Scott! Is that you? I agree.
KB, you must be a Shamecock, and one with a short memory at that.
I do recall a very empty glaring stadium when Clemson was beating you 54-7 in Columbia, and I have heard many boos coming out of Williams-Brice, seen many blogs, and listened to enough talk radio shows to fire Spurrier, bench Mitchell, Smelley, etc. If you are not a Shamecock, regardless of your affiliation, you can’t intelligently say you have attended a college or pro game where play was consistenly poor and the boos did not surface. Guess you forget Sparky Woods, Brad Scott, and Lou-ser Holtz, too.
‘As soon as it goes bad’ – where have you been for 10 years ? 3-5 in bowl games, win column padded with Div II schools, underacheiving talent. We have been stomaching average performance for a premium price for a decade now.
Players should motivate themselves,they are not in high school anymore.The coach only reinforces the motivation they shoild already have.A good coach is not going to see Clemson as a good place to coach because of what happened to Bowden.Coaches should not put any player down while talking to the media.
For some reason it appears that the State did glamorize the tigers,with this thunder & lightening business.I don’t care how fast you are these days there is always some who can stop you.
If ESPN’s question was, “What do you have to say about Bowden’s dismissal?” then it is entirely ridiculous to think Harper’s response (“It’s what he deserved”) was about anyone other than Bowden. Harper is just trying to worm out of his own words. You’d have to be very gullible to accept that spin.
Why isn’t Brad Scott assuming the playcalling duties? I know he had some issues in the past, but that’s more experience than most of these guys there now. And it’s not like the current system was working..
I liked Tommy Bowden and find it hard to believe that “he quit”. I did feel that his job was going to be on the line because the team was not doing as well as everyone thought. They have done more damage because it is going to add more drama to the season. I hope he finds a job very quickly he is a very talented coach and a good person. He deserved better. As far as the non clemson fan and his comments — sit on it. You know nothing about Clemson and its fans. We are critical but, we are devoted and we love out team. GO CLEMSON!! Beat everyone!!
Guys, what else would you expect Cullen’s dad to say? Of course he thinks his kid is the best for the job. Cullen may be slumping but what great QB hasn’t? I’m a clemson fan and as long as we’re winning, I couldn’t care less if the Tiger was the QB so please don’t think I’m on one bandwagon or another. I don’t think Cullen should be kicked off the team even if he did aim that comment at Coach Bowden. He’s a young man who is entitled to his opinion, especially when he sees that his coach threw him under the bus in an attempt to satisfy the fans and save his job. This situation stinks all the way around. Where the recruiting for an offensive line? If your son in an all-star QB, RB, or HB why would you send him to a school where he won’t have time to tuck the ball before someone is wrapping him up or the OC calls plays where 90% if the passes are thrown BEHIND the line of scrimmage? Even on 3rd & 12 when it hasn’t worked all season or the one before? I think this year is a scratch unless someone has a better idea and can motivate these young men before everyone that’s able splits for the NFL. One thing that did touch me was the interview of James Davis and him being so emotional he could barely talk. That’s something we the fans don’t think about when we’re screaming for someone to be sent out to satiate the masses and our call for blood. We fail to see how much these young men love the guy and how that could be a fatal blow to the team. Of course maybe Coach Bowden will learn that in his next gig he should rethink his loyalties when the people aren’t producing. I couldn’t understand why when you have two great QBs, you don’t have the offense geared to utilize both of them to keep a defense off guard. Seems like that worked against CU in the Peach bowl. Maybe Coach Bowden didn’t call TT after the Alabama game? Anyway, we’ve gotten what we asked for, the end of coach Bowden and Spence. Now it’s time to get behind Coach Swinney and the team 100% until the end of the season. We can worry about coaches when the season’s over. Thanks for allowing me to vent.
Yes I’m a GAMECOCK fan but I do think things are out of control for ya’ll.I firmlly felt ya’ll would run the table this year.I thought the same last year.
I also know that if ya’ll ar’nt good we probably won’t either.
GOOD LUCK
I smith, you might want to check the list of coaches already interested. Bud Foster, who many of gamecock were dying to get, has made some very interesting comments about the opening. Not to mention every other coach on our short list. You are a fool to think that coaching at Clemson is not a golden opportunity.
I’m not sure why the gamecock fans are soooo concerned about Clemson’s pre-season rating, etc. Yes, we were over-rated. But how could the fans at Clemson have created that rating? I didn’t get a vote. And didn’t all carolina fans think they deserved their #6 rating during the middle of last season? Hmmm.
Paul, Thanks for responding with class to these strange and useless gamecock comments. Please remind them of Clemson’s success against USC over the last few years under Bowden. Maybe they should be more concerned with the lack of progress of their own team.
At least efforts are being made in Clemson to move forward and improve.
Be careful what you wish for Clemson fans. Next year you may be begging for Bowden to be back. Sometimes you don’t know what you have until you lose it.
@V: Yeah, USC wanted Bud Foster…for our DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR. Big difference. No way top-tier coaching talent is going to want to head to Pickens County to coach a program with one of the most over-inflated opinions of where they rate in the world of college football. Here’s a hint: Clemson isn’t viewed any differently around the nation than Carolina. Get over yourselves, and maybe you’ll win the ACC again someday.
@Doug James: Look at the records for 2008, genius. Efforts have been ongoing in Columbia since Coach Spurrier arrived, and we aren’t in the middle of his TENTH SEASON wondering why we can’t win with the best players ever to be in the program. Maybe Taters like yourself should be more concerned with the mess in the Upstate and less concerned with what USC is doing. Also, we’re building a solid recruiting class for 2009, and things are only going to continue to improve. I know y’all wish that wasn’t the case, but it is. Oh, and I was never concerned with Clemson’s preseason ranking…I knew they were WAY overrated.
I think that cullen shoould have another chance to prove himself under a new coach , honestly i think he can . It does’nt matter what other people think if you are a clemson fan no matter who’s coaching or who’s playing you should always stick with your team through thick and thin . Also gamecock fans have no room to take shots at us when they are sum of the worst fans around lol .
@Carolina2001
1. Clemson hired Bowden at roughly the same time S. Carolina hired Lou Holtz. I think Clemson had the more successful hire.
2. You must be young. This is no where near the talent level of the late 80′s and early 90′s.
3. If Carolina fans weren’t constantly on Clemson fan pages taking pot shots, and I don’t just mean this week, you wouldn’t see anything said about the Gamecocks here.