Lane Kiffin gives hilarious reaction to crazy theory on Tennessee NIL investigation
Lane Kiffin couldn’t help but to shake his head at a theory from one Tennessee fan regarding the NIL investigation into the Vols. A caller by the name of Peggy phoned into The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday, where she accused the Ole Miss coach of being the reason UT is potentially in trouble.
Finebaum dismissed the caller’s comments with sarcasm, pointing out how ridiculous the claims were. Kiffin later caught a clip of the interaction on Twitter, offering a simple facepalm emoji as his reaction.
Tennessee and Lane Kiffin have a history dating back to 2009, when he was the head coach in Knoxville. He left after one season to take the job at USC, and it’s clear many fans are still bitter about that departure.
Since rejoining the SEC in 2020, Kiffin’s battles with the Volunteers have been interesting to say the least. The 2021 matchup in Knoxville saw fans react to a call by throwing trash onto the field, with a golf ball hitting Kiffin in the arm.
Finebaum brought that game up to the caller, who reacted by saying the coach brought the ball in himself. Clearly there was no convincing her, and Finebaum finally ended the call as the show went to commercial break.
New of the investigation against Tennessee came out on Tuesday, reporting “major” violations against the Volunteers. It is not just limited to football, as it is said to have occurred across multiple sports. Because Tennessee was also punished this past summer for more than 200 violations in its football program, punishment could be more severe.
The Volunteers are attempting to fight the allegations and has the state government on its side.
AGs from Tennessee file federal lawsuit against NCAA following investigation into Vols
Attorney generals from the states of Tennessee and Virginia filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday in the aftermath of the Name, Image, Likeness investigation on the Tennessee Volunteers football program, according to college football insiders Ross Dellenger and Pete Thamel.
The 20-page complaint was filed to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee Wednesday morning and is centered around the NCAA’s current rule that prevents recruits, high school or from the transfer portal, from discussing or entering Name, Image, and Likeness dealings prior to their enrollment.
The lawsuit states these ‘protections’ allow student-athletes to pursue NIL, but prevent high school and transfer portal prospects from doing so before they enroll into a program. Comparing the rule to a coach looking for a new job but not being able to negotiate salary.
“These “protections” allow current athletes to pursue NIL compensation,” the lawsuit reads. “But it bans prospective college athletes (including current college athletes looking to transfer to another school who are in the “transfer portal”) from discussing potential NIL opportunities before they actually enroll. It’s like a coach looking for a new job, and freely talking to many different schools, but being unable to negotiate salary until after he’s picked one (the depressive effect on coaches’ wages in such a dysfunctional market is obvious).”
The lawsuit references the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce, claiming that the current NCAA rules interfere with athletes’ ability to earn NIL compensation. Also accusing the NCAA of ‘thumbing its nose at the law’ and stopping the NIL ‘market from functioning’ following the nationwide legalization of NIL for student-athletes on July 1, 2021.