"He purposely belittled Jaden, insulted him": Clemson HC Dabo Swinney accused of mistreating former Tigers' All-American's son

Former Clemson star safety Terry Kinard has accused head coach Dabo Swinney of mistreating his son, Jaden Kinard, who has entered the transfer portal. Jaden arrived at Clemson as a walk-on in 2022 and made three appearances for the Tigers in 2023.

Terry Kinard took to Facebook to share a detailed post about Dabo Swinney's treatment of Jaden after deciding to enter the transfer portal.

In the post, the All-American claimed that Swinney intentionally demeaned Jaden, hurled insults at him and resorted to name-calling during practice.

“Coach Dabo Swinney was not having it. He made Jaden’s last two practices the worst experience of the entirety of the time he was there. He purposely belittled Jaden, insulted him and called him names.”

“This two-day public onslaught went far beyond anything resembling any kind of appropriate coach-to-athlete exchange. Coaches can use tough tactics when trying to get the best out of a player. This was definitely not that!”

---

Jaden Kinard got the encouragement of his teammates after the incident

Following the incident that occurred during the Tigers’ practice ahead of the Gator Bowl, Terry Kinard noted that Jaden received word of encouragement from his teammates.

That pretty much showcased how intense the situation was and how it caught the players' attention.

“Other teammates that witnessed this tried to encourage Jaden by telling him to keep his head up,” Kinard wrote.

“Many of them, including Jaden, were puzzled as to why he was receiving this type of attention now. It was more attention that Jaden had received from Swinney the entire time that he had been there.”

Notably, Jaden Kinard had hoped to be involved in the bowl game against Kentucky as his last action for the team. However, it doesn't appear that he will get a chance in the game following the incident.

---

Terry Kinard believes this is Dabo Swinney’s true personality

In Terry Kinard's opinion, Clemson's struggles this season has brought out the true colors of Dabo Swinney. The Tigers recorded an unusual four losses in the regular season.

“A man’s true character is shown and will come out during the times of forced change,” Kinard wrote.

“The landscape of college football is changing. Unfortunately, it appears as though our son Jaden (a scout team player), who had yet to get any real opportunities to perform on the football field, had to bear the brunt of Swinney’s frustrations with the changes.

Despite a challenging start to the college football season, Clemson concluded the season with an 8-4 record, securing a spot in the Gator Bowl. A win shouldl calm things down in the program.