People Say I look Like Lane Kiffin

What a couple of weeks we have had in sports. Between Urban Meyer, Mike Leach, Mark McGwire, Pete Carroll, and the NFL Playoffs, in addition to great college hoops, I haven’t really done anything other than loaf in front of the TV. Somewhere, though, Tiger Woods is breathing a sigh of relief for finally having entered that “my-private-life-is-finally-not-the-center-of-the-sports-world” stage that inevitably comes with all controversies. One particular topic which really grinds my gears though is Lane Kiffin leaving Tennessee for Southern Cal this past week.

For a number of reasons:

(Before I begin, I would like to say that I am responding only to what I have seen on TV and in the papers. I probably should have done more research about some of the controversial issues I will bring up, but I think I would rather not. Doing so might endanger my argument, or worse, change my opinion of that scumbag.)

How can you sign a contract, as Kiffin did with Tennessee, and then simply get up and leave? What is the point of even signing a contract? Seriously? Don’t contracts exist so that there is a binding agreement for the signer to the employer? Now I will be the first to admit that I personally know almost nothing about these things, and there might even be a good explanation for it (such as a buyout or something). But as I see it, if a coach came to the school/team I root for, and signed a multiple year contract, I would expect him to honor it for at least two years, hence “multiple”. Kiffin did no such thing. Screw him.
I want to make myself clear that I understand why ho took the job, the reasons are obvious: better pay, larger recruitment pool, better looking undergraduates with whom one can cheat on their spouse, etc. That said I don’t blame him for wanting the SC job. What pisses me off, though, are the outside circumstances involved with his decision.

Broken Promises

After promising a celebratory singing of “Rocky Top” after a victory against Florida, he indirectly swore an oath to fans and players that he will do what it takes to not only remove Florida from the SEC throne, but also to move Tennessee into the upper echelon of college football once again. Many coaches make bold decisions when they are hired; doing so gives fans and programs hope and inspiration that they have finally found the guy for the job. Unfortunately for Kiffin this decision was about as bad as Mark May’s to wear sunglasses to the BCS title game. What the hell was that all about anyway?

Kiffin allegedly showed a video to Tennessee recruits last March saying “We’re gonna make Tennessee the USC of the South, the USC of the east coast.” In other words, he was promising to rebuild a dynasty at Tennessee while assuring these players that Southern Cal was not his bag, and that he would be around for years. Believing Kiffin then would be like believing your average greasy used-car salesman whom most educated Americans know they shouldn’t trust. That’s what makes Kiffin even nastier; he was selling to UNeducated Americans in these gangster high school players. (I know that statement may be a little risky, but so was The Rock’s decision to accept a role as a hockey playing tooth fairy. Why did he do that? Was he trying to kill his career? And why didn’t the creator of “The U” have a special segment on The Rock’s off-field activities? You know they were preposterous.) Back to Kiffin though…

Kiffin screwed over the student athletes

The announcement was made on the morning of Wednesday the 13th, the day that second semester classes started at Tennessee. Kiffin had recruited a few players who graduated early from high school so that they could enroll at Tennessee 2nd semester 2010, not an uncommon practice. Now as I understand it, if they were in class on Wednesday the 13th they were considered enrolled at Tennessee. They were likely informed of his decision on Tuesday evening, and had between then and the next day of classes to make a decision on their Tennessee careers. They had maybe 24 hours to decommit from Tennessee (as I believe some players did), and find other schools to play for, if they so desired. What doesn’t get publicized is how these high schoolers -turned college students who did indeed decommit from Tennessee now have a whole semester off to do what they please—whether it be gamble, drink, smoke crack or hold up gas stations (lets be honest there is a reason the Tennessee football program is under NCAA review presently). These kids probably made the decision to graduate early from high school sometime in early 2009, undoubtedly because of Kiffin’s influence on them, and now that he is gone to pursue his own interests he has left these men in the dust. They could decide to stay at Tennessee for good, or stay this semester and then transfer (which would require sitting out for a year due to NCAA regulations), or decommit from Tennessee and find another school to enroll in, perhaps following him to USC. But they had to make this decision before they were enrolled at Tennessee, else they were considered a student. They undoubtedly went through a ton of difficulties (registering in and out of high school and college, trying to convince their babies mama’s they’ll stay faithful, etc.), just to get in to Tennessee early, all for naught. Needless to say, Kiffin has totally screwed these players for a number of years.

Eligibility

People say how “great of a fit” it is that Kiffin is now the head man at USC. Why? He didn’t do much at Tennessee (7-6), and certainly not with the Oakland Raiders (5-15-1). What does he know about (re)-building a dynastic college football program? Sure he may have the pieces around him (Orgeron, his father Monte), but that doesn’t necessarily equate to success for a 34 year-old never-was. Unless he has privately proven himself to the SC athletic brass, to me this was not a good hire. Good luck to him though. He has a difficult road ahead of him, trying to restore SC to Pac-10 dominance amid the Reggie Bush controversy. And its funny that Kiffin went from one school filled with questions concerning NCAA regulations to another in USC and the Reggie Bush compliance issues. Gotta love doing whatever it takes to win!

The only reasonable outcome, as I see it, is for the NCAA to somehow allow these kids who have committed to the original coach, (notice I don’t say school because the actual academic institution is not why they committed in the first place, it’s the coach), to go with the coach. Chances are the new school, like USC, can afford to give scholarships to these kids. They should be able to justify letting a top SEC recruit commit to their program. But as I said before, I am almost positive it is much more difficult and complicated than I propose. The NCAA is really not that great of an organization, especially without Myles Brand at the top. It is tough to find a comparison to the NCAA, but I know that when push comes to shove the NCAA will usually choose whatever decision allows for them to make a greater profit. Screw Lane Kiffin. He is, and always will be, a villain who is bad for college football.