Stephen A. Smith was called out on a live show by SEC analyst Paul Finebaum after his controversial take on Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin’s future. Kiffin has emerged to be a top candidate for both LSU and Florida. Both of these programs are searching for a new head coach after they dismissed their permanent ones due to a lackluster start to the season.
Appearing on First Take, Smith said Kiffin should leave Ole Miss, saying that “brothers” would rather go to programs like LSU and Florida.
“He’s in Oxford, Mississippi. OK? Let’s get this out of the way, now listen ladies and gentlemen — and y’all can’t say it … leave it to me, I’ll say it — the brothers ain’t trying to come to Oxford, Mississippi, for the most part,” Smith said Wednesday morning. “Compared to Gainesville or Baton Rouge, Louisiana, let’s just call it what it is.”
After learning what Smith had to say, hours later, Finebaum called out the ESPN analyst for infusing racial bias into the subject. He said Ole Miss isn’t the same program it was once before and a lot has changed in Oxford, Miss.
“Again, I realize a lot of you did not see what Stephen A. said, but he clearly made it racial. He clearly said, in his words: ‘the brothers do not want to go to Oxford, Mississippi,’ which I think has been proven to be completely incorrect,” Finebaum said on his show.
“I’ve been to Oxford a million times and I think it’s terribly unfair to bring up echoes of yesteryear, the ’60s, and try and portray Oxford as that type of place today. It’s not. The South has changed. You can make your own interpretation, but to dump on Oxford while saying Gainesville and Baton Rouge would be a utopia (comparably) is baffling to me.”
Lane Kiffin Declines To Address LSU, Florida Coaching Speculation
Lane Kiffin is in the middle of a great season with the Rebels as they are in contention to make the SEC championship game and even the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
Amid LSU, Florida rumors, Kiffin was recently asked if he would consider leaving his current position to take on roles in Gainesville and Baton Rouge.
“I’m not speaking on other jobs,” Kiffin said.
Kiffin also declined to answer when asked if he had talked with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry about the LSU job.
Speaking on the speculation, Kiffin added:
“I’m not getting in on any speculation or stories of things having to do with other jobs. I’ve said that about 10 times. But I understand, you’ve got to ask them.”
As such, Kiffin is not giving up anything regarding the rumors.
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