Lane Kiffen Public Reprimand (1 Viewer)

[VVextreme]

Bwahahahaha Lane Kiffen is a tool. UT fans must be seriously proud of their new coaching hire. I can't remember any brand new coach being such an embarrassment before. I know there's a saying that no PR is bad PR, but come on, you really think this type of crap is really beneficial for your program? This letter is excellent management from the commish. I love this guy, he's done a great job for the SEC. I give him props for not allowing the most powerful names in football the ability to run all over him, he's really taken these issues by the horns and keeps SEC football in great shape. Read the last paragraph for sure, it's hilarious as a non-UT fan. Pissing off the SEC commish and getting called out like this can't be a good idea...

www.mrsec.com

"This letter of reprimand from SEC Commissioner Mike Slive to Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by Jimmy Hyams, sports radio host in Knoxville.

Dear Coach Kiffin:

This is with regard to your post-game statements concerning the officiating in the Tennessee at Alabama football game played in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on October 24th, 2009.

The actions and statements constitute public criticism of officials, contrary to the provisions of Bylaw 10.5.4 of the Southeastern Conference Manual, which reads, “coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from all public criticism of officials.” It is your responsibility as a coach to comply with the policies of the Southeastern Conference and to know the football playing rules.

As a result of your comments, I’m sending you this letter of reprimand. This reprimand will be made public.

Since it is clear from your public comments that you believe this letter “mean(s) nothing”, let me be equally as clear to you. The next time you, or a member of your staff, make public comments of this nature, you will be suspended from all coaching duties for one or more games, and the institution may be subjected to a substantial fine. I also remind you that this is your second public reprimand in your brief tenure as Tennessee’s Head Football Coach and on both occasions you were wrong about the applicable rules.

Sincerely,

Michael Slive"

 

[BoNcHiE]

How about the SEC fix it's horrible embarrassing officiating first?

 

[Madmarsha]

I'm not a Lane Kiffen lover but one word keep popping into my head for some reason .... Gestapo.

 

[VVextreme]

How about the SEC fix it's horrible embarrassing officiating first?

Agreed, but this should happen behind the scenes. Calling into question the validity of the product you are selling in front of all of your customers... not a good idea from a company man. Tennessee is a part of the SEC family, so by attacking them he is really attacking himself.

The correct way to handle this is by submitting film footage to the SEC league office of the mistakes you feel they made and let them handle it from there. Your fans will find out from the media when you file those protests and know how you really feel.

But the real embarrassment is going beyond that and attacking the SEC commish personally saying he is just going to give you meaningless letters, etc. and questioning his authority. Coaches get POed all of the time and complain about the refs, that happens. However attacking the SEC and the commish directly in this manner is an embarrassment.

If this were an isolated incident, that's one thing. But Kiffen is showing a trend for putting his foot in his mouth. For the amount of money UT is paying, they should be able to find someone who is a positive representative for their institution as well.

 

[Taceo]

How about the SEC fix it's horrible embarrassing officiating first?

Exactly. Coaches wouldn't make comments like this if they weren't weekly occurrences. Coaches know better than fans that the refs aren't going to get everything right all of the time. They miss calls. They miss egregious calls. Its nothing personal, its just part of the game...

... except in the SEC, where it seems certain teams get certain calls an inordinate amount of times. If it didn't happen over and over coaches would bite their tongues and curse their luck, but because its obvious to everyone that something needs to change its hard to back Slive on this one.

 

[VVextreme]

Exactly. Coaches wouldn't make comments like this if they weren't weekly occurrences. Coaches know better than fans that the refs aren't going to get everything right all of the time. They miss calls. They miss egregious calls. Its nothing personal, its just part of the game...

... except in the SEC, where it seems certain teams get certain calls an inordinate amount of times. If it didn't happen over and over coaches would bite their tongues and curse their luck, but because its obvious to everyone that something needs to change its hard to back Slive on this one.

http://mrsec.com/story/officials-playing-favorites-it-doesnt-look-like-it

Here's a pretty good article on penalties. I don't buy this conspiracy theory. I think we just have bad officiating.

We need more instant replay and better full-times refs. Pay the $ and get it done.

 

[Squeezebox]

Someone needs to tell the SEC not to kill the messenger.

Lane Kiffin complaining about crappy refs isn't the problem; having crappy refs is the problem.

 

[VVextreme]

Someone needs to tell the SEC not to kill the messenger.

Lane Kiffin complaining about crappy refs isn't the problem; having crappy refs is the problem.

1. It helps if you actually understand the rules before you publicly bash the refs for screwing it up (when they really didn't.)
2. Questioning the legitimacy/authority of the SEC from both the head coach and his staff (especially considering they didn't understand the rules to begin with) is definitely over the line.

From the article that I posted above...

"Earlier this week, Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin complained that the referees in his team’s game with Alabama should have thrown a flag on the game’s final play and allowed the Volunteers a second try at a potential game-winning field goal.

By rule, even if officials had thrown a flag, the Vols wouldn’t have been given a second kick. That, of course, meant little to Kiffin.

“I’m sure we’ll get one of those letters that mean nothing, that Bobby (Petrino) got last week, but Florida and Alabama live on,” Kiffin said.

Clearly, he was a suggesting that the SEC is taking care of #1 Florida and #2 Alabama.

UT assistant Ed Orgeron then added to that thought the next day.

“There were very questionable calls throughout the season and it seems they go for the better team. Whether that’s true or not, we can never prove that but that’s what it seems like.”"

 

[JimEverett]

ha ha!

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091106/SPORTS060407/91106019/Urban+Meyer+fined++30+000+by+SEC

 

[Taceo]

ha ha!

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091106/SPORTS060407/91106019/Urban+Meyer+fined++30+000+by+SEC

When he made those comments, I wondered if Slive would have the balls to act. On the one hand, the SEC just made a huge deal out of keeping comments quiet, but on the other hand there is no other way to talk about the play in question.