USC head football coach Lane Kiffin participated in a Q&A for ESPN’s Page 2 recently and provided some good information. Before we dive into those nuggets, let’s take a look at his most interesting quote. Asked what the media or fans have wrong about him, Kiffin said it was their view of his personality.
“I think people that don’t know me, it’s almost like they don’t believe I’m human. I’ve said that before. [They don’t believe] that I actually have three kids or that I take them to the park and do normal things. It’s not just this renegade person, because that can be a perception that has been created by people. I think people are really surprised when they get around me, as opposed to what they’ve read.”
Actually Lane, that perception wasn’t created by people, it was created by you when you decided to fight Al Davis, take the Tennessee gig, and leave them after your first season for USC. Maybe you need a lesson from the dictionary. A “renegade” is “a person who deserts a party or cause for another.” Yup, that sounds about right.
That Kiffin is trying to shame us for saying he’s a renegade speaks to how manipulative he tries to be. It’s impossible to disagree with the renegade description of his personality. In fact, I don’t think there’s a better word to describe him. I’d also like to hear his explanation for taking a player’s jersey number without warning.
Kiffin also said that naming his son “Knox” was not a tribute to Tennessee, but rather a name his wife had picked out for a while. Then when he got onto the subject of the Raiders, he said winning in Oakland is almost impossible.
“You’re waiting for [owner Al Davis] to wake up and come to work at 2 o’clock in the afternoon to make decisions that the rest of the league is making at 6 o’clock in the morning. You’re still running videotapes over to the hotel so he can watch practice at night.”
That part we can all believe. It doesn’t take Lane Kiffin saying it for us to know that Al Davis is an outdated fossil who’s lost his football mind. But remember: Lane Kiffin is not a renegade, and damn you for saying he is.
