Clemson coach Dabo Swinney shows up to basketball game with black eye

The 16th-ranked Clemson basketball team faced a massive ACC meeting with No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday. But the biggest storyline from the game had nothing to do with the competition (which UNC won 65-55).

Instead, social media was more interested in one of the attendees of Saturday's game: football coach Dabo Swinney.

Why? Because he showed up with a very noticeable black eye, as caught on camera.

The longtime Clemson coach was seen gingerly tending to his eye while in the stands at Littlejohn Coliseum:

With that, here's an explanation on Swinney's eye — and a look at some of the best jokes regarding his shiner:

What happened to Dabo Swinney's eye?

Per a report from David Hood of TigerNet.com, Swinney picked up his black eye in a game of pickup basketball. Swinney reportedly had a late-night visit to the ER but, more importantly, his team won:

Social media reacts to Dabo Swinney black eye

The seemingly harmless nature of Swinney's black eye didn't stop social media from chiming in with jokes.

One common refrain from X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) involved "Tyler from Spartanburg," the eponymous caller who sparked an infamous rant from the football coach earlier in the 2023 college football season.

Here's a sampling of some of the best reactions at Swinney's eye: