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Lane Kiffin appears to be weighing his future at Ole Miss, and it’s a hot topic on sports talk shows.
ESPN’s “First Take,” featuring Stephen A. Smith, Paul Finebaum and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo, discussed whether Kiffin should stay with the Rebels long-term, as several other college and NFL jobs have opened up in recent weeks.
Smith, however, insinuated that some black players would prefer to play elsewhere.
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Paul Finebaum took offense to Stephen A. Smith’s “racial” comments on the Ole Miss post. (Rick Ulreich, Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I’m going to take him home, okay? … You can’t say it. Leave it to me, I’ll say it: The brothers are not trying to come to Oxford, Mississippi, for the most part, versus Gainesville or Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Let’s call it what it is,” Smith said on “First Take.”
Finebaum did not respond to Smith on air but made his feelings known on his own radio show later in the day.
“He clearly demonstrated racism,” Finebaum said. “He clearly said, in his words, ‘The brothers don’t want to go to Oxford, Mississippi,’ which turned out to be completely incorrect. I’ve been to Oxford a million times, and I think it’s terribly unfair to echo echoes of yesteryear, the ’60s, and try to portray Oxford as that type of place today. It’s not. The South has changed. You can make your own interpretation, but get rid of Oxford by saying that Gainesville and Baton Rouge would be utopia just baffled me.”
ESPN/SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum is on set before the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Ohio State Buckeyes on December 31, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Smith also suggested racial implications when the Miami Dolphins and former general manager Chris Grier, who is black, parted ways.
“This is BS. This is the first fire? Really? Is this what we do?” It was about Tua [Tagovailoa]. It was Mike McDaniel. And the brother gets fired first?” Smith said when the news broke while he was in “First take.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve it because of the way they look. You’re at the helm, I get it. I get it. I’m all for the Friars as head coaches and general managers. We know the battles I’ve been fighting for over 30 years. I get it,” Smith continued. “But when you don’t do the job, you don’t do the damn job. I get it. Don’t tell me it’s just him. Don’t tell me we’re going to leave Mike McDaniel in place, and we’re just going to fire him and we’re going to move this. Damn. I’m waiting for more news.”
McDaniel, who still has his job, has African-American ancestry from his grandmother.
Stephen A. Smith appears as a guest on “The View.” (Lou Rocco/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty Images)
Kiffin has been with Ole Miss since 2020 after previous stops at Florida Atlantic, USC and Tennessee. He was the offensive coordinator at Alabama between his gigs at USC and FAU. There has been speculation that he could join former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart with the New York Giants. Dart’s father even texted the coach, but Kiffin apparently said New York was “too cold.”
