LSU’s Brian Kelly Calls Out Lane Kiffin – We Love SEC Football
Can you feel it? The ground in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is already beginning to shake. Okay maybe the Earth isn't really moving at Tiger Stadium but for the LSU faithful who "Love Purple Live Gold," the first Sunday in September can't come fast enough.
And if you're wondering about the "first Sunday" instead of it being a "first Saturday" it's because the Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers football team has once again been chosen to be in the national spotlight when the 2024 NCAA Football season "really" gets underway.
Sure there will be games this weekend but unless you're a fan of Georgia Tech, Florida State, or McNeese State you're probably willing to wait until next weekend when teams such as Louisiana's Ragin Cajuns start the season officially.
And while we as fans might wait impatiently for the actual season to begin, for coaches such as LSU's Brian Kelly and the University of Mississippi's Lane Kiffin there is never an off-season. The fans, the media, and the potential players scrutinize every word that comes out of the coach's mouth.
The other day, Ole Miss Coach Kiffin made an interesting remark regarding a popular soft drink. I can only assume the popular soft drink is a sponsor of Ole Miss athletics because a bottle was strategically placed on the coach's podium before he addressed the media.
Not being one to mince words, Coach Kiffin offered his thoughts on the popular soda. Not to be outdone nor outmarketed, LSU Coach Brian Kelly addressed Coach Kiffin's "inflammatory rhetoric" with some good old-fashioned kindness.
Here, you can watch for yourself.
I wonder which program will get extra sponsor dollars from Coke?
Chances are this "dust-up" won't go any further than stories such as this one but it does illustrate just how closely followed college coaches, especially in the Southeastern Conference are followed, quoted, and scrutinized.
Frankly, I haven't seen such a sponsor-related faux pas like the one committed by Kiffin since the the New Orleans Saints inadvertently sent us all to get chicken at Popeyes, much to the chagrin of their official chicken sponsor at the time Raising Canes. Fortunately, Raising Canes has survived the blunder and Popeyes appears to be doing quite well too.
Let's hope the same good fortune doesn't follow Coach Kiffin around. No, we don't wish him or the team personal harm. We just enjoy watching them lose. But that's life in the SEC, Where it Just Means More.