We told you earlier in the week that this would likely be a topic of conversation over the coming days, so don’t say you weren’t warned.
According to a report from TheRoot.com, 15 of the 57 black Clemson players listed on the team’s official roster accepted the invitation and made the mid-January trip to the White House to celebrate the Tigers’ second national championship in three years. Three anonymous black football players told the website that a majority of their black teammates -- and some white teammates, it should be noted -- passed on making the visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue because of “racism and their disdain for [President Donald] Trump‘s divisive politics.”
There’s been an update to the numbers aspect of the situation courtesy of the Charleston Post & Courier as, according to the team’s official travel roster for the White House event provided to the newspaper, 58 of the 74 Tiger football players (of 119 student-athletes overall on the 2018 roster) who attended were white. Of the Tigers’ 22 starters in the title game win over Alabama, 15 were black; just one black starter, cornerback A.J. Terrell, attended the event.
(For the complete list of those who did or didn’t attend, click HERE.)
The numbers presented by the school are certainly in line with those presented in the original report, although yet another controversy surfaced that playing members of the program are looking to put to rest.
In The Root‘s original report, the website went to great lengths to drive home the point and confirm that no one associated with the program, from coaches to football staffers to athletic department officials, pressured players to make the trek to the White House or attempted to change their minds about going. However, another posting, this one from BlackSportsOnline.com, highlighted a passage from the original piece which stated “that some players only attended because they worried that refusing to attend the traditional White House visit might affect their scholarships or playing time.”
The subhead of that piece read: “How Some Young Black Clemson Players Felt Pressured to Go to White House Because If They Didn’t Dabo Might Limit Their Playing Time or Yank Their Scholarships.”
The highlighting of that particular portion didn’t sit well with a number of Clemson football players, who took to social media to push back against the narrative.
“Fake News!!!!!” *Trumps Voice* 😭😂😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/E9MzF0HxPd
— Clelin Ferrell (@Cle_Missile) January 30, 2019
Tired of seeing dumb comments over something that’s not even true.. Coach Swinney would never do this.. Ever. https://t.co/eukBBByGna
— Amari Rodgers3️⃣ (@arodgers_3) January 30, 2019
No one involved in our program felt pressured. Everyone made their own personal decisions. It’s life, what’s the big deal. https://t.co/Ymzeckv2JH
— Treyway Mullen (@MullenIsland1) January 30, 2019
In an interview with The State, linebacker Kendall Joseph, who was one of the Tiger players who didn’t attend, blasted those who speculated that head coach Dabo Swinney would yank a scholarship from or limit the playing time of anyone who stayed away from the event.
While what some described as Trump’s divisive politics were cited as reasons for players, those who are black in particular, not taking the trip, Joseph added that getting a start on training for the NFL combine/draft as well as the quick turnaround (Clemson won the title Jan. 7, the visit with the President took place Jan. 14) were factors in his teammates’ decisions.