The Ole Miss head coach certainly had a bone to pick with Finebaum, but it came across weirdly.
I guess SEC Media Days wouldn’t be complete without some interpersonal drama to keep fans entertained throughout the conference. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss’ vocal head coach, has received acclaim for his more reserved manner this week, including a touching message on the death of his father, famed coach Monte Kiffin. On the football side, he has also appeared easy and secure in what his program brings—as he should be, given that the Rebels will most likely fight for a playoff spot this year.
Of course, Paul Finebaum has always been himself. He’s not a shock jock by any means, but he doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind when he believes he has anything controversial to say. The trouble, of course, is that it can come back to bite you years later.
This culminated in a rather unpleasant conversation between these two men on the SEC Network.
What a toxic combination of negative vibes.
Look, Kiffin certainly has something to say about Paul. There is a way to do that, and it involves confrontation. I’m not a fan of Paul Finebaum, either. I can’t help but feel like this callout fell flat.
So, why does he spend so much time talking about Miley Cyrus? I see Finebaum’s argument, but it became way too much of a thing during this exchange. It significantly diminished the effect that Kiff appeared to attempt to achieve here.
This feels more like the old Lane Kiffin than the one we saw for the majority of the week. He’s trying to make headlines and just stumbles through whatever tasty thing he can think of to say until it fizzles out. Weird! This was all pretty strange.