Trevor Lawrence, Christian Wilkins, Clemson Players, Alums Back Dabo Swinney

Trevor Lawrence was among four Clemson players who addressed the recent criticism directed toward head coach Dabo Swinney on Thursday.

Lawrence, Darien Rencher, Cornell Powell and Mike Jones Jr. held a video call with reporters to discuss a peaceful demonstration they're helping to organize Saturday. The players talked about Swinney as well.

"I've had a lot to learn and it's been cool to learn from these guys," Lawrence said. "I think with Coach Swinney, it's easy to judge some things he does. But the biggest testament to who he is are the people around him every day and the glowing views we have of the person he is."

Rencher offered his thoughts:

Former Tigers stars Christian Wilkins and DeAndre Hopkins didn't participate in the call but have defended Swinney as well:

Rencher noted Swinney didn't have an easy upbringing but still remained insulated from certain struggles by virtue of his race:

"Coach Swinney came from a hard background. But at the same time, being black isn't circumstantial. You don't choose it. For him to acknowledge that even though you come from a hard place, if you're black, it's still harder -- that's something that just to have that conversation, to tune himself in to that reality. We shed tears as a team. For him to say he understands us and that black lives do matter and to rally around us ... he's doing everything he can to educate himself."

People across America have taken to the streets to demand reforms addressing police brutality and systemic racism following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police custody May 25.

Swinney had been critical of the protests sparked by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016. "Everything is so bad, and this world is falling apart," he said at the time. "Some of these people need to move to another country. Some of them need to move to another country."

In a conference call earlier this month, he told reporters, "That was probably a harsh statement, for sure." He had added that in light of the recent demonstrations, he had wanted to listen to others before weighing in.

Swinney faced further scrutiny, though, after former player Kanyon Tuttle said a member of the Clemson coaching staff said the N-word during practice and kept his job. Tuttle also said Swinney encouraged players not to attend an anti-racism sit-in Clemson students staged in 2016.

Assistant coach Danny Pearman acknowledged he said the racist slur but that he wasn't directing it toward any player.

In a nearly 14-minute video message, Swinney defended his handling of the Pearman situation and refuted the notion he instructed players to stay away from the Sikes Hall sit-in.

"I wholeheartedly support Black Lives Matter," Swinney said. "In fact, I don't quite think that's adequate enough. I think black lives significantly and equally matter."