Clemson QB Cade Klubnik Addresses False Car Accident Rumor

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik took a moment to dispel rumors regarding a supposed car accident that left him injured, just days before the highly anticipated matchup against LSU.

“I was sitting at home just hanging out with my roommates when my mom called me crying,” Klubnik recounted during a press conference on August 27. “I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ She was just tearing up, checking if I’m OK. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. What’s going on?’” His mother had seen a post circulating online that claimed he was in a serious accident.

The rumor originated from a post on the Clemson fan site TigerNet, which falsely stated that Klubnik was involved in a car wreck and was unable to move his arm or shoulder.

Klubnik noted that his mother’s alarmed call was the first he heard of the rumor. Following her call, he received numerous messages from friends and family expressing their concern.

“I don’t know who it was, but man, just shame on them for the pain that they had to put people I love through,” he said, expressing his frustration over the situation. “I’m not really interested in talking about it anymore. But it was a messed up joke. But I’m OK.”

His mother, Kim, quickly refuted the rumor earlier this week, stating, “Thankfully, it is fake news. Cade is fine!”

Kim further expressed her distress: “My heart has not stopped racing since someone shared the story with me. How can someone be so cruel?”

Klubnik, a preseason All-American and a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, has faced his share of challenges since his sophomore season when Clemson finished with a disappointing 9-4 record.

“Everybody kind of told me I sucked and wasn’t very good,” he reflected earlier this month. “A lot of people wanted me out of Clemson.”

Despite the negativity, head coach Dabo Swinney remained supportive. “To have somebody that I look up to and believe in tell me that he believes in me just filled me with confidence,” Klubnik said. “He could have gone and done what a lot of other coaches would do [and find a transfer quarterback], but he didn’t.”

Swinney acknowledged the scrutiny that came with keeping Klubnik as the starting quarterback. “I just knew there was going to be a lot of noise,” he said. “He’s a young person, and I just felt like it was important that I let him know that I fully believed in him.”

Clemson is set to host LSU on Saturday, August 30 at 7:30 pm ET on ABC, marking an important start to the season for both teams.