Clemson University has received both local and national backlash for its choice to proceed with a football game following Hurricane Helene’s impact on Upstate South Carolina. When asked about the criticism surrounding the decision to host Stanford on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium, just 36 hours after the storm passed through the area, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney clarified that the choice wasn’t his to make, but he expressed his trust in the university’s leadership.
“You can reach out to President (Jim) Clements,” Swinney said during his weekly press conference, referencing the institution’s head. “I trust our leadership here. Ultimately, decisions like these come with criticism, no matter which way you go. At the end of the day, you can’t satisfy everyone.”
After Hurricane Helene—then classified as a tropical storm—hit South Carolina on Friday morning, causing significant property damage and power outages in the Clemson area, the university announced around noon that its scheduled home game against Stanford would proceed as planned. The decision was based on a thorough assessment of the storm’s effects, focusing on the safety of hosting fans and the visiting team.
Clemson stated that city officials and first responders had been diligently working on recovery efforts at that time and that the university looked forward to supporting these initiatives. Despite this, the decision faced scrutiny from local residents, officials, and commentators across national sports media, who argued that it strained resources like gas, ice, and emergency personnel. Local author Allison Wells, a Clemson alum who has been without power since the storm, criticized the situation by stating, “Football runs the university.”
The mayor of Central, South Carolina, located about 15 minutes from Clemson, criticized the university’s decision to “endanger thousands of community members for the benefit of thousands of visitors to its football stadium,” calling it “unconscionable.” The city manager of Clemson echoed this sentiment, stating, “I don’t think they looked beyond the borders of campus to see how we were doing over here.”
Clemson mayor Robert Halfacre expressed his concerns about “tens of thousands of people arriving in our city while we were trying to assess and repair the damage from the storm,” although he acknowledged that Clemson’s decision was complicated and emphasized the importance of focusing on the city’s recovery in the coming weeks.
Adding to the frustration was the university’s choice (announced on Sunday) to cancel classes and keep the campus closed on Monday. However, Clemson reopened fully and resumed classes on Tuesday. On Sunday, the university also made several on-campus sites, including Littlejohn Coliseum, available to community members and city residents in need of refuge, offering free access to air conditioning, power, and WiFi.
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During his weekly Sunday night teleconference, Swinney stated that the idea of postponing or canceling the Clemson-Stanford game “never” arose in his discussions with university officials. “Maybe it was brought up at the administrative level, but nobody ever mentioned it to me,” Swinney explained. “My focus is on getting the team ready, and that’s what we concentrated on.”
Clemson football radio announcer Don Munson addressed the controversy at the start of Swinney’s Monday night radio show, expressing hope that the game would serve as a “good distraction” for fans in need. The announced attendance was 80,295, just shy of the stadium’s capacity of 81,500. “I know there’s been some controversy about whether Clemson should play or not,” Munson acknowledged. “But I say congratulations to our university, our athletic department, and the city of Clemson for making this game happen.”
On Tuesday, Swinney acknowledged the criticism directed at Clemson for its decision but reiterated that he was not involved in the final decision to proceed with the game. He expressed confidence in university president Jim Clements and athletic director Graham Neff for making what he termed a difficult decision as leaders. “Regardless of the decision, the media is likely to ask the same questions,” Swinney noted. “As a leader, you have to make the best choice. But I don’t make those decisions; I just prepare the team. We have excellent leadership in Jim Clements and Graham Neff. So go ahead and contact them.”
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