Stephen A. Smith tells Lane Kiffin to ‘stop lying’ about not reading criticism
Published:
Stephen A. Smith isn’t buying Lane Kiffin‘s new declarations that he just quit social media cold turkey.
The first-year LSU head coach met with reporters on Thursday morning at SEC Media Days in Tampa, and he was asked if he thinks that he gets a bad rap. Kiffin’s answer was a loaded one, because it suggested that he’s no longer connected to social media, where he’s been so active in recent years.
“I don’t know if I do because I don’t read anything,” Kiffin said.
So, that’s it? Kiffin is now disconnected from knowing about his fiercest critics because he no longer reads the criticism. Smith was having none of it during his appearance on ESPN’s First Take later Thursday morning. In fact, he challenged Kiffin to start telling the truth about all of the noise.
“What I would implore Lane Kiffin to stop doing. Stop lying. Stop lying. Live in your truth and be cool with it,” Smith said. “You know what, you do read stuff. You might not be on social media. But I’ll be damned if you don’t have somebody to monitor what is on social media, so you can pick and choose what you want to respond to, what you want to address and what you don’t.”
Then Smith recalled what his own mother advised him about truth and lies.
“It’s kind of cathartic to exhale and let go,” Smith said. “My momma always said to me, it’s a hell of a lot easier and less stressful to force people to live with your truth than for you to have to live with your lies. Tell the truth.”
No matter the noise on the outside, Kiffin has a job to do on the inside as the new LSU head coach. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about Kiffin’s chances to lead the Tigers to an SEC title in his first season in Baton Rouge:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
