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Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis criticized Lane Kiffin's comments about the university's racial history, calling it a 'pitiful day.' Kiffin's remarks followed his controversial move from Ole Miss to LSU, which left many feeling betrayed.
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Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Lane Kiffin doesnât just leave schools; he burns the bridge on the way out of town and salts the earth as he goes, ensuring there is no path back.
That has certainly been the case with his move from Ole Miss to LSU. After building the Rebels into a national title contender, he skipped town to coach one of their rivals before the season was over, leaving a sour taste in everyoneâs mouth. He compounded that distaste with comments in a Vanity Fair interview this week in which he inferred that the racial history and reputation of Ole Miss and the state of Mississippi made it harder to recruit, but that he doesnât think that will be a problem at Louisiana State University.
ââHey, coach, we really like you. But my grandparents arenât letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi.â That doesnât come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana,â Kiffin told Vanity Fair. âParents were sitting here this weekend saying the campusâs diversity feels so great: âIt feels like thereâs no segregation.ââ
Kiffin apologized, but the damage has been done, and the LSU coach has been getting it from all sides since. That includes prominent people at Ole Miss. The latest of which is menâs basketball coach Kermit Davis, who felt it was âpitifulâ how Kiffinâs comments would perpetuate a perception about the school he feels is no longer warranted.
âItâs really kind of a pitiful day, in my opinion,â Davis told Chris Childers. âWhen he said all these things, and I watched Oxford from first-hand experience embrace him in an unbelievable way, and he even said it â that âI needed Oxford more than Oxford needed me.â
âFor him to kind of throw shade on historical paths of Mississippi and not talk about Ole Miss now, which is one of the most inviting campuses in America. ⊠It shocked a lot of people, a lot of close friends of mine. I think there was a lot of people that were really disappointed.â
Lane Kiffin suggested that Ole Miss's racial history made recruiting difficult, which Kermit Davis found disrespectful.
Kiffin's abrupt move to LSU after building Ole Miss into a contender left a negative impression and feelings of betrayal among fans and the coaching staff.
Kiffin implied that the racial reputation of Ole Miss hindered recruitment, contrasting it with the perceived advantages of LSU.

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Kiffinâs comments have reinforced stereotypes, though perhaps not the ones he intended. If anything, the fact that he waited until he left Oxford to speak up on this issue is an unfortunate trope for a lot of white people in positions of power, who only speak up about racial injustice when it suits their needs.
LSU heads to Oxford to play Ole Miss on Sept. 19, so you can expect everyone in town and on campus to let Kiffin know what they think of him that week.