Lane Kiffin, also no stranger to attention, immediately invited controversy after taking over as head coach of the LSU Tigers by working to bring in former college players who have signed contracts to play in the NFL.The SEC and Big Ten immediately moved to ban pro players from playing, leading to a series of court battles to settle the issue.While LSU ultimately prevailed, with a judge granting an injunction to let two players, Dae’quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, play this season, the SEC and other teams signaled their intention to fight back.
Hard.LSU LEAVES FORMER PRO-ATHLETES OFF FINAL ROSTER, ONE NIGHT BEFORE SEC TAKES LANE KIFFIN AND TIGERS TO COURTLSU Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin walks the field during warmups prior to NCAA football game action between the Clemson Tigers and the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA.Jonathan Mailhes/CSM/Sipa USA (Credit Image: Jonathan Mailhes/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA) (Jonathan Mailhes/Cal Sport Media/Sipa USA)The conference cited Kiffin’s flippant, sarcastic comment before halftime during the game against Clemson in a new amended complaint: "Imagine if we had pro players."It was then widely reported that the conference’s other 15 schools would vote to kick the Tigers out at a meeting scheduled for Sept.
10.A brief war of words ensued, resulting in the Tigers seemingly backing down by adding two non-pro players to the roster and filling out their final two spots.Some commentators, like Stephen A.Smith, have defended LSU’s actions, while many opposing coaches have expressed a mixture of skepticism, bewilderment or anger over how Kiffin and the Tigers’ administration handled the situation.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEOne of Kiffin’s rival SEC coaches, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, just added to it Thursday with a colorful explanation of the dynamic between the two opposing sides.Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at...