‘You ought to be ashamed of yourself’: Dabo Swinney rips ‘Fire Novell’ banner at Florida State

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney talks with media after a 20-16 loss to Virginia Tech Hokies at Memorial Stadium Saturday, October 24, 2026.Clemson picked up a big road win over Florida State on Saturday night, beating the Seminoles 36-24 in Tallahassee. But after the game, Dabo Swinney wasn’t focused on his own team’s win.Instead, the Clemson head coach went out of his way to defend Florida State’s Mike Norvell after fans flew a banner over the stadium calling for him to be fired. Swinney called the banner “embarrassing,” “shameful,” and “disrespectful,” and he pointed out that it didn’t even spell Norvell’s name correctly.Pressure on NorvellNorvell, in his seventh season at Florida State, has been under increasing pressure after another rough start. Saturday’s loss dropped the Seminoles to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in ACC play, tied with Georgia Tech for last place in the conference.Since winning the ACC title in 2023, Norvell has gone just 10-22. He entered this season at the top of the list of coaches who could be fired in 2026, and by midseason, he was among the coaches at risk of being fired before the season ends.Florida State entered Saturday’s game as a six-point favorite, but the Seminoles still haven’t beaten Clemson at home since 2014.Earlier in the week, university president Richard McCullough acknowledged fans’ frustration in a letter, while also urging them to support the players and fill Doak Campbell Stadium. But that didn’t stop someone from flying a plane over the stadium with a banner reading “Fire Novell.”‘Didn’t Even Have the Freaking R’Swinney brought up the banner unprompted during his postgame press conference.“That was embarrassing what I saw above the stadium. Florida State’s better than that,” Swinney said, via ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “That’s not good for these kids. That bothered me, and they didn’t even spell his name right. Didn’t even have the freaking R in the name. It’s just disrespectful.”“There’s so many good people at this place and in this program. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Florida State. Bobby Bowden was one of my heroes in life. [Norvell] ain’t gonna say it, but I’ll say it. I was freaking disappointed to see that,” Swinney continued. “Hell, they may be flying one around Clemson next time I’m home, but I doubt it. I doubt it. But whoever did that, man, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”Swinney defended Norvell from the criticism he has received.“Ain’t nobody trying to lose,” Swinney said. “This job is hard, and that’s not what’s best for those kids out there that are fighting. They fought every second of that game. I know it’s a tough situation, and it went our way tonight. But Mike Norvell is a good man. He’s a husband, he’s a father, and I don’t know why we think because people make money that you have the right to just destroy people as humans.”“I don’t know where we became this as a society, where it’s OK to tear people down. It’s like a blood sport now. You lose a game, fire everybody. Everybody stinks,” he added.Swinney said that fans should support the team and evaluate things at the end of the season. And he had one more shot for whoever was responsible for the banner.“I’m sure somebody had a lot of fun, felt really good about themselves, to fly a freaking plane and a banner around this amazing stadium. It’s shameful to me,” Swinney said.‘You’ve Got to Win’Norvell wasn’t asked about the banner after the game. But he did acknowledge the frustration from Florida State fans, many of whom had left by the fourth quarter with the Seminoles trailing 29-10.“You’ve got to win, that’s what it comes down to,” Norvell said. “This team rallied and responded and still believed in what they could do. I understand the frustration.”He also made it clear that the team is feeling it, too.“Even with all the other bullcrap that we’ve had to deal with, these guys fight for each other,” Norvell said.“Are they pissed off? Yes. Are they angry, sad, mad? All of it? Yes. So am I,” he added.Clearly, Norvell has at least one big supporter in the ACC, even if it’s not coming from Florida State’s fan base.The post ‘You ought to be ashamed of yourself’: Dabo Swinney rips ‘Fire Novell’ banner at Florida State appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.