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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” with 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.
However, Smith insinuated that some black players would prefer to play elsewhere.
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Paul Finebaum took offense to Stephen A. Smith’s “racist” comments about the Ole Miss job. (Rick Ulreich, Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
“I’m going to take it home, okay? … You guys can’t say. Leave it to me, I’ll say it — the brothers, for the most part, aren’t trying to get to Oxford, Mississippi, compared to Gainesville or Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Let’s just 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 made it clear racially,” Finebaum said. “He clearly said, in his words, ‘The brothers don’t want to go to Oxford, Mississippi,’ which has been proven to be completely wrong. I’ve been to Oxford a million times, and I think it’s terribly unfair to bring up echoes of the past ’60s and try to portray Oxford as that type of place today. It hasn’t changed, while Oxford has changed its own interpretation, but you can say that yourself. Gainesville and Baton Rouge would be that utopia was just confusing for me.”
ESPN/SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum is on stage prior to 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’re doing?” It was about Tua [Tagovailoa]. It was about Mike McDaniel. And the brother gets fired first?” Smith said when the news broke while on “First Take.”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve it because of the way they look. You’re at the helm, I got it. I get it. I’m all for brothers as head coaches and GMs. We know the battles I’ve been fighting for over 30 years. I got it,” Smith continued. “But when you don’t get the job done, you don’t get the damn job done. I got it. Don’t tell me it’s just him. Don’t tell me we’re leaving Mike McDaniel in place and we’re just firing him and we’re moving it. Damn. I’m waiting for more news.”
McDaniel, who still has his job, has African-American ancestry from his grandmother.
Stephen A. Smith makes a guest appearance 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.”
