Norvell responds to Swinney's claims: 'Football coaches are not doctors'

TALLAHASSEE, FL - JUNE 13: Head Coach Mike Norvell of the Florida State Football Team wears a mask before a unity walk on June 13, 2020 in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State players and members of the football coaching staff led fans and supporters on a unity walk from the Doak Campbell Stadium on the Florida State University campus to the state capitol building in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Protests erupted across the nation after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25th.
Don Juan Moore / Getty Images News / Getty

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell responded to Dabo Swinney's claims that COVID-19 concerns were "just an excuse" for the Seminoles to cancel Saturday's game against Clemson.

Norvell said his team was looking forward to playing the five-year running ACC champions, but a symptomatic Tigers player testing positive for the virus raised concerns about playing the contest as scheduled.

"It's unfortunate to everybody that the game was postponed," Norvell told reporters, according to Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times. "Nobody wanted this.

"I'm not concerned about what any other coach says or thinks," he added. "I'm focused on what we're doing here."

The Florida State boss said he became aware of Clemson's positive test on Friday evening while at the university but the decision not to play came from his program's medical staff Saturday morning.

"Football coaches are not doctors," Norvell said. "Some of us might think that we are, but there's a reason why those advisors are able to make the decisions from the information that is provided."

The 2-6 Seminoles' next scheduled game comes Saturday against Virginia, while Clemson will host Pittsburgh.

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