Clemson coach Dabo Swinney apologizes for mental-health joke after loss at Miami

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney apologized Sunday evening for a questionable comment he made Saturday night after his team’s 28-20 double-overtime loss at Miami.

In his postgame news conference, Swinney was asked if the Tigers retain a sport psychologist to help players work through difficult defeats.

"We’ve got one," he said. "He’s probably on suicide watch right now."

During his Sunday evening teleconference, Swinney said he regretted his response.

STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter for exclusive content

"That was such a poor attempt at humor on my part and just a really bad choice of words in a bad moment," Swinney said.

"It’s certainly not something I should say, and I absolutely apologize for that. We’re very deliberate in what we do around here in prioritizing mental health for our students and staff. That was just a really bad choice of words and an even worse attempt at humor."

Swinney’s team is 4-3 overall and 2-3 in ACC play and has lost two games in overtime (the other was 31-24 against Florida State in Week 4).

The Tigers will play at NC State (4-3, 1-2) on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, CW).