Dabo Swinney addressed reporters in Charlotte, NC during the ACC Championship news conference on Dec. 2, 2011. (TheACC.com)
Charlotte, NC (WLTX) -- Clemson Football Coach Dabo Swinney was asked to address comments he made in reaction to a quote wrongly attributed to USC Coach Steve Spurrier, saying "it is what it is."
Thursday night after Clemson's practice to prepare for the ACC Title game, Swinney was asked by a reporter about a quote attributed to Spurrier. The quote (and we're paraphrasing here) was that South Carolina wasn't LSU or Alabama, but they weren't Clemson. Previous Coverage: Dabo Swinney on USC: They'll Never Be Clemson
During the ACC Championship news conference Friday afternoon, Swinney was asked what he thought of the reaction to his comments.
"I really don't have any comment. It is what it is," said Swinney, "I think that I heard today, it supposedly wasn't said [by Spurrier]."
Swinney said if he knew that he was misquoted by media related to Clemson, he says he would have corrected the mistake.
"I promise you, I would correct it," Swinney said, "I would make sure it was clear."
Swinney referred to confusion that may have been caused by a tweet sent from the @GamecockFB twitter account, which directly attributed the quote to Spurrier. "We aren't LSU, and we aren't Alabama, but we sure ain't Clemson--Steve Spurrier" the account wrote on November 27th.
Radio station 107.5 The Game tweeted Thursday a portion of their broadcast following USC's victory over Clemson last Saturday. In the excerpt, USC play-by-play announcer Todd Ellis said, "as Coach Spurrier says, we may not be LSU or Alabama, but we ain't Clemson folks."
The @GamecockFB account clarified the posting by saying Spurrier has never compared the Gamecocks to Clemson, and referred people to audio of Ellis's remark. On Friday, the person who sent the tweet apologized for any confusion caused by the error.
Earlier in the news conference, Swinney spoke highly of ACC Coastal Champion Virginia Tech.
"Virginia Tech is an incredible opponent," Swinney said, "They've kinda set the standard for this conference."
"When you're having a press conference this week, it's a good thing," Swinney said about preparing his team for their championship game.
"Listen, our goal is to be back in Charlotte, but to be competing for the ACC Championship," Swinney said, referring to his team's trip to the Queen City last season.
"This is what it's all about," Swinney said, "This was our goal to be in this game."