Earlier this week, Dabo Swinney, along with Clemson president Jim Clements, athletic director Dan Radakovich and a few players, visited the South Carolina Statehouse where they received a rousing ovation as they accepted a highway sign that commemorates their national championship.
Swinney used that platform as an opportunity to preach about the importance of football.
"Today I'm here because football unifies," Dabo told the state's elected officials.
"Football matters. It matters. There’s bad in everything. There’s bad people that coach, there’s bad people that govern, there’s bad people that preach. There’s bad in everything. But I’m just here to tell you there’s more good. Amen. And I’ve seen lives change through the game of football."
“Football unifies. In a world that’s very divided, nothing brings people together like football. Football brings race, religion, backgrounds, neighborhoods, bank accounts - it just breaks all that stuff down and brings people together and makes them brothers."
Dabo then took the program's mantra of "Best is the Standard" and spinned it a bit to give the politicians in attendance a little extra motivation.
“It’s that little extra that it’s going to take for every single one of you to be the best representative, to be the best senator, to represent the people who elected you to do your job. That little extra to get along with that person you don’t really get along with but you’ve got to find some common ground for the better of this state."
Check out video of Dabo's 17 minute speech below (beginning at about the 12 minute mark), courtesy of Fox Carolina.