Clemson Tigers College Football Pregame Quote, 12/27/2021

On hosting Day for Kids:

I mean, this is what it’s all about. You get beautiful weather, two great teams, two great leaders of these programs and you see it reflected in the kids. And the fact that they’re going to spend two hours with some kids in our neighborhood that need some positive reinforcement and people to look up to, to me, is what bowl season and I think college athletics in general are all about.

On the impact of the event:

It’s like a smorgasbord of opportunity. They’re dragging these players around by hand ‚Äî ‘I want to get on a merry-go-round,’ and ‘I want to do a roller coaster,’ and racing each other on go karts, just forgetting about life for a while and being a kid. And I think it brings the kids out of the student athletes and reminds us all about the better things in life. So, I think this is what’s special about bowl season, and special for our community.

On the Communities of West Lakes, home to many of Monday’s participants:

Camping World stadium has committed itself to investing in the neighborhoods that literally surround the stadium, and many of these kids hail from that community. It’s always been our goal, our aspiration to level the playing field without regard to money, to create opportunities for kids. So, you see that with the Early Learning Center, in the affordable housing communities and the Boys & Girls Club and the [Lake Lorna Doone Park] investments that we’ve made. And now I hope that now each successive bowl season we’ll see days like today, and kids that live in the neighborhood will start to view that success in real time.

On the impact of COVID-19 on the games:

I feel great. All of our programs are in great shape. vaccination rates are up there. So far, every day, the reports that we’ve got [say] we’re in great shape. So, I’m not really concerned. I think all four of our teams are in great shape to play both of our bowl games, and we’ve taken a lot of precautions to protect them in close-contact indoor environments. They’ve also done their own job back home in terms of how they protected their staff and their players.

On other bowl cancellations:

I feel for the communities that are experiencing teams that have had to withdraw. I feel for the teams that are withdrawing and I feel for the teams that are left there without an opponent in the play. I mean, that’s a special opportunity. You want these kids to have it, but this Coronavirus is going to be with us now and I think we got to take steps to protect ourselves and find ways to manage it safely and they were blessed enough in Orlando so far that we’re seeing that positive trend.