Dabo Swinney’s brother ‘Tripp’ arrested in Florida
Dabo Swinney loves his brother, but “there ain’t nothing I can do about” Henry “Tripp” Swinney’s arrest in Florida.
Deputies in Bay County picked up Tripp Swinney this week in connection with allegations by his estranged wife who said he repeatedly harassed and cyberstalked her, according to court records, the Panama City News-Herald reported.
Tripp Swinney, 47, essentially named his baby brother, calling him “That boy,” which at not quite 2 years-old old sounded like “Dabo.” The Clemson head football coach recounted the oft-repeated story this week that he was in elementary school before he knew his given name was William Christopher Swinney.
Dabo Swinney also spoke about his brother’s troubled history, saying he tried to help. “He’s almost 50 years old. One thing I learned a long time ago is, you can’t change people. People have to want to change and want to do the right things,” he said. “Unfortunately, he’s had a long history of not doing the right things.”
According to a sheriff’s report, Tripp Swinney’s wife warned him to stop calling, emailing and texting her and filed for an order of protection in October.
An arrest warrant was issued, Swinney was taken into custody and at his first appearance Wednesday was ordered held on $15,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned in February.
“There are consequences for your actions. You don’t do the right things, and you suffer the consequences. It’s no different from anybody else,” the coach said after Thursday’s practice for the national championship game. The team is scheduled to fly to Arizona on Friday.
“My family is no different from anybody else. The only sad thing is this is a story because he is my brother.
“I love him,” he said. “There’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve tried to do everything I can to be a good brother and help him. That’s his life. Those are decisions that he’s made.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 9:52 PM with the headline "Dabo Swinney’s brother ‘Tripp’ arrested in Florida."