Lane Kiffin shares how player leadership committee responded to idea of adding NFL talent
By Jacob Moss
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Lane Kiffin has, once again, found himself at the forefront of the college football news cycle over the past week due to his pursuit of former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who was recently released by the Cleveland Browns.
The first-year head coach of the LSU Tigers drew the ire of both the SEC and the wider college football world when it was revealed that he had a deal in place to bring Wright back to the college ranks before he was even let go by the Browns, and his comments regarding the move only further intensified that anger.
Never one to let the limelight go to waste, Kiffin further defended his actions on Monday during a press conference, saying that he was actually torn over whether or not to bring Wright in until his players convinced him it was the right thing to do.
Every one of them was emphatic about, ‘If they can help us win, bring ’em,'” Kiffin said (per ESPN’s Heather Dinich). “We understand we have a team that’s practiced together and worked together all offseason, but one of them said, ‘Hey, this is how it works at the next level, and this is how the real world works.’ So that made me feel a little better in the struggle and being torn back and forth.”
Whether or not one believes Kiffin’s latest justification, it’s hard to argue against doing whatever it takes to put your team over the top as a head coach. The SEC has been exploring options to keep former pros from playing in the college ranks again, but until something enforceable is put on the books, what Kiffin is doing is free game.
This whole episode and how Kiffin has handled it is extremely on-brand for the seasoned head coach. Still, if his players are okay with it and the powers that be aren’t doing anything to stop it, then there’s no reason not to expect the biggest troll in college football to engage in these kinds of roster-building tactics.
