Before Mississippi head coach Lane Kiffin arrived in Hoover, Alabama, for SEC Media Days, he had to address a few rumors started by a fan of a rival school about his personal life.
It’s not uncommon for rival schools to start rumors about each other in college football. It is rare, however, for a coach to address them.
Kiffin addresses rumors about his personal life
Apparently, a fan of Mississippi State, which is the Rebels biggest rival, started a rumor on social media that the Rebels head coach had impregnated a 24-year-old former Mississippi cheerleader.
Kiffin seemed to take the rumor in stride and even laughed about it.
He said the best part of the rumor was the Bulldogs fan using the term “done knocked up.”
Kiffin should be used to being the target of hate from rival fans. When he was briefly the coach at Tennessee, he wasn’t well-liked, especially after he left abruptly to become the head coach of the USC Trojans.
Anger toward Kiffin has died down over the years, but there are still signs on social media that some Volunteer fans hold a grudge against their former head coach to this day.
Lane Kiffin has calmed down over the years
Since he was fired from USC on the LAX airport tarmac and by the then-Oakland Raiders, Kiffin’s brash personality has toned down somewhat.
Perhaps he was humbled by the experience, although Kiffin said last year on The Herd with Colin Cowherd that he felt like his firing by USC was a bit unfair. While he was there, the Trojans were hit by major NCAA sanctions, which limited the number of scholarships they could offer.
“The thing that bothered me the most is that I wasn’t graded on a fair scale,” Kiffin said. “We weren’t 1-10. We had 30 less scholarships and when (sanctions from the last regime) hit, all your juniors, and seniors can leave. Then you have to sign a No. 1 recruiting class in the country with kids knowing they can’t play in a bowl game for two years. Everyone said I couldn’t coach … but everyone forgot about that.”
Nick Saban saved Kiffin’s career
Although Kiffin’s time as Alabama’s offensive coordinator was brief (2014-16), it basically saved his career.
He called his time there “perfect,” per CBS Sports, and basically credited Alabama head coach Nick Saban for saving his coaching career.
“There wouldn’t have been a better job in the NFL,” he explained. “I say [it’s] the ‘rehab’ stamp. You go there, spend some time, all the sudden you can coach again.”
Saban’s “rehab” program not only saved the likes of Kiffin but also new Texas Longhorns head coach SteveSarkisian. Both were offensive coordinators there and also won national championships at Alabama.
Kiffin has been grateful for his career turnaround ever since.
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