Dabo Swinney is FURIOUS Florida State canceled its game with Clemson on Saturday ... saying straight-up he thinks the Seminoles used coronavirus as an excuse to back out.
"This game was not canceled because of COVID," the Tigers head coach said Sunday. "COVID was just an excuse to cancel the game."
If you missed it, Florida State and Clemson were scheduled to kick off Saturday ... when it was revealed a Tigers player -- who had made the trip with the team to Tallahassee, FL for the game -- had tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
Dabo says the team followed all the proper protocols and believed, despite the test, no one else was affected by the virus and the game should've still gone on.
But, FSU officials, citing the health and safety of their players, decided it was best to NOT play ... and canceled the matchup.
"If they want to play Clemson, in my opinion, they need to come to Clemson, or they need to pay for all expenses. Other than that, there's no reason for us to play them."
— Marc Whiteman (@MarcWYFFNews4) November 23, 2020
Dabo Swinney didn't hold back in his first remarks since Saturday's postponement.
(📽️ @ClemsonTigers) pic.twitter.com/kqDWXXBga5
Dabo, speaking in-depth about the decision on Sunday, absolutely railroaded the school for the choice ... insinuating the 'Noles (a HUGE underdog in the game) simply just didn't want to play Clemson.
"The standard to cancel a game was not met," Dabo said. "A guy testing positive on a Friday does not cancel a game."
The coach continued, "We offered to test again. Play Saturday night. Sunday. Monday. And it was declined. We met the standard to play, and we should've played."
The ACC is trying to figure out a way to reschedule the game ... but Dabo made it clear if FSU doesn't reimburse the Tigers for travel expenses -- which were reportedly in the $300,000 range -- he ain't playin' it.
"To me, the Florida State administration forfeited the game," Swinney said. "And if they want to play Clemson, in my opinion, they need to come to Clemson or they need to pay for all expenses."
"Other than that, there's no reason for us to play them. We were there, we were ready and we met the standards."
For its part, Florida State did not comment on Swinney's remarks Sunday ... but Noles coach Mike Norvell said in a statement Saturday, "It's unfortunate that we will not have the opportunity to compete today, but we hope to be able to play Clemson in December."