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

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.