"He doesn't have staff meeting to rip someone's a**": Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin quips about Nick Saban's SEC credential mishap
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin knows not to get in Nick Saban's way when the latter is angry. Reportedly, the former Alabama coach was stopped during SEC Media Days on Monday in Dallas, Texas, for not having his media credential to enter the event.
Traditional wisdom would tell you that winning seven national championships with two Southeastern Conference schools would be more than enough to allow you entrance to any event organized by the conference. However, Saban apparently had to go back to his hotel room before starting his current gig as an analyst with SEC Now.
Rebels coach Lane Kiffin was one of those who laughed at learning that Nick Saban wasn't allowed entry into the event. Per ESPN's Chris Low on Monday, Kiffin said the following about the incident when asked about it during the SEC Media Days:
“Now what’s he going to do because he doesn’t have a 7:30 staff meeting tomorrow morning to rip someone’s a*s.”
Kiffin would know about Nick Saban's ways of getting it off his chest, as the Rebels coach spent three seasons on his staff as an offensive coordinator. If he learned something from that experience, apparently, it's not to get in the coach's way.
Lane Kiffin speaks about his late father Monte Kiffin at SEC Media Days
When Lane Kiffin first stepped onto the podium on the first day of the SEC Media Days on Monday, it was an emotional moment. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey paid his respects to Kiffin's late father, Monte Kiffin, who died last week at the age of 84.
Lane Kiffin himself said the following of the outpouring of support his family has received:
“It’s just an amazing outpouring of support, stories from former players, former coaches, and especially former staff of people in the building and how many friends came out of that in the Bucs' community and family.”
Monte Kiffin was a respected NFL assistant coach who spent eight years at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under coaches Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden. He was their defensive coordinator when the Bucs won their first Super Bowl in 2002. Monte Kiffin's last job was under his son, as a player personnel analyst at Ole Miss between 2020 and 2023.