Lane Kiffin ensured that he’s going to get booed as few people have ever been booed, the next time he walks onto the field at Ole Miss’s Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, with his recent comments about Oxford, Mississippi, in a Vanity Fair interview.
Now, his replacement has offered some thoughts.
Kiffin, who left Ole Miss for LSU in the most Lane Kiffin way possible last season, suggested in a Vanity Fair profile earlier this month that racial sentiments towards Ole Miss made it difficult to recruit some Black athletes to the school, a problem he alleged does not exist at LSU. Kiffin apologized for the comments shortly after the story was published, but he faced intense backlash from critics over the sentiment and the convenient timing of his concern about the issue.
Pete Golding, who took over at Ole Miss after Kiffin left before the then-undefeated Rebels attempted to win a national title in the College Football Playoff, was asked about the comments this week. Golding, who worked under Kiffin, says he is personally friendly with him, but the comments struck a nerve.
“I really don’t have a response to it,” Golding told reporters. “I mean, obviously, there’s a Lane side for us that we’re buddies and our friends, and then there’s professional side that I have to get on his ass, you know? But I think, you know, every time he gets in front of a camera, they’re bringing up Ole Miss and all that. I think, you know, the breakup wasn’t perfect. I don’t think any of them ever will be.
“But … for some of the last … comments that he made, I think anybody that’s been to Oxford, you know, knows that’s not where we’re at right now. I’ve lived all over the southeast, we all got our own issues, you know, but I think the biggest thing is make sure people come to Oxford and see for themselves.”
Golding probably doesn’t want to throw too many shots as he’s got his hands full with accusations from other coaches.
Kiffin’s Tigers head to Oxford on September 19 to take on Ole Miss, and Lane’s run onto the field is going to be must-see (and must-hear) TV.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.