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It's been a wild week in the offseason for the Wake Forest football program. There was the Indiana football coach talking trash about Wake Forest, and then there was Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson taking offense to a joke that comedian Stephen Colbert told during his commencement address to the Wake Forest University graduating class of 2015.
The joke from Colbert
"Still, while Wake has been a trailblazer, this is a school that respects tradition. Traditions like rolling the Quad with toilet paper after big wins. And this is actually an eco-friendly tradition because, looking at this season’s win-loss record, you guys saved a lot of paper."
The response from Clawson
“I won’t be watching his show for at least a year. You invite someone like that, and I’m sure they paid him a fairly healthy sum to be our speaker, and it was not needed and not appreciated.”
“He got some laughs out of it, which was his goal, but — it is what it is. He spoke the truth. We did not have a good record last year. Our students didn’t get to roll the quad as much as we want. The bottom line is that it’s our job to change that, and we’ll get that changed, and I’m fully confident that will happen."
I personally think this was more of a jab at the basketball program under Jeff Bzdelik than anything else, but I understand Clawson's frustrations, and know just how competitive he is. Clawson ultimately accepted responsibility for something that really wasn't his fault at all. I honestly believe Wake Forest does not even win three games if Clawson isn't our head coach last season. Without him, Wake does not land Wolford and then there is a complete disaster at quarterback. I trust that with Clawson at the helm, Wake Forest won't be the butt of many jokes in the future.
We know Clawson won't be watching Colbert this Fall, but we do know that he'll be watching a lot of film.
Any thoughts on Clawson's comments?
FULL COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
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