Kiffin and the Fallout That Followed

It's arguable which party got the worst end of the brouhaha, the University of Mississippi or Lane Kiffin, the Rebels' former head football coach. Almost everybody in the universe knows by now that Kiffin, in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, made some viral disparaging comments about Ole Miss' troubled past.

Since then, he has been scorned by innumerable national media outlets as "college football's newest villain." Said SEC Network voice Paul Finebaum:

"...This wasn't a slip of the tongue. I talked to the writer who did the Vanity Fair piece the other day, Chris Smith. He said he didn't even ask Kiffin about the racism aspect ... This is Kiffin trying to wipe Ole Miss off the face of the Earth, he's still very bitter at them, even though they are the jilted lover. He's bitter at them because they wouldn't let him coach in the playoffs.

"And he has to recruit against them; he has to coach against them on September 19th, in a game that will get a little bit of attention." No writer excoriated Kiffin more than Ricky Matthews, a longtime respected newspaper publisher in Mississippi and Louisiana. Matthews hosts two shows on the SuperTalk Mississippi radio network, on which he said:

"... (Kiffin) decided to play the race card against the program and place that welcomed him, rebuilt his career, and felt like 'home.' He claimed recruiting Black players to Ole Miss was tougher because grandparents wouldn't let prospects 'move to Oxford, Mississippi.'

"Mississippi and Ole Miss don't run from their history. We confront it with our hearts and souls every single day, leading by example. We've removed Confederate symbols. We've built memorials, scholarships, and programs honoring the painful integration era and James Meredith. We've made serious strides over the years, not empty words. Families visit Oxford, feel the friendliness, see the diverse crowds at games, and choose to be part of it ..."

Matthews even coined "... a new word right here: 'Kiffinitis (noun).' The incurable condition of total lack of empathy for others combined with an insatiable craving for constant headlines, drama, and the next big check. Named in honor of Lane Kiffin, the poster child for putting self-promotion and personal gain above loyalty, relationships, and basic human decency. Once you catch it, it never goes away."

National college football analyst Bomani Jones said he asked every member of Rebel quarterback Trinidad Chambliss' family if they worried about sending their son to play at Ole Miss and "it was a 'no' all the way across the board," Jones said.

I remember a discussion about Kiffin I had with a stranger in a retail store in the Birmingham area. He spotted a Rebel baseball cap I had on, and asked, "I guess you're loving Ole Miss' coach these days."

I replied, "Not really. Sure, his teams have won more games in recent years than in the immediate past, but I figure that in the end, we'll regret he ever appeared on our campus. And I've never trusted him for the coaching risks he takes on the field."

Dan Patrick, perhaps the most popular of all sports analysts, took on Kiffin as did Baton Rouge native Peter Burns of the SEC Network, questioning Kiffin's reasons for attacking Ole Miss.

All should realize that Kiffin was professionally rehabbed by Ole Miss during his six-year tenure before leaving for LSU, as his players were preparing for the 2025 playoffs.

Said celebrated Al.com sports columnist Kevin Scarbinsky: "You think Kiffin did a good job at Ole Miss? He did until he failed to finish the job."

---Mac Gordon is a native of McComb. He is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon@gmail.com.