LOS ANGELES—Turns out Lane Kiffin didn’t leave his sharp tongue and hot temper in Knoxville after all. He just waited a while before unpacking all that baggage on the West Coast.
With two days of tirades against several officiating decisions in No. 21 Southern California’s triple-overtime loss to Stanford, the Trojans coach lived up to the headline-grabbing reputation he built during short stints at Tennessee and with the Oakland Raiders. Kiffin was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the Pac-12 on Monday night for a screed following the Trojans’ 56-48 loss, amplified by similar comments a day later.
After Tuesday’s practice for the Trojans’ (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) visit to Colorado on Friday, Kiffin said he’s been reminded by Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott that he isn’t allowed to talk about any aspect of officiating. Kirk Reynolds, the conference’s vice president for public affairs, said Kiffin is the first coach ever fined by Scott, and apparently the first fined by the Pac-12 or Pac-10 for violating rules on standards of conduct.
“After a lot of conversations, we agree to disagree,” Kiffin said. “I am sorry that all this happened. I have learned from this. I’ve learned that regardless of questions, I can’t answer anything that has to do with a call during the game or any conversation that an official has with me. So from here on out, I won’t be able to respond to anything.”
But he acknowledges that silence will be awfully tough. He practically drew blood from biting his tongue when asked if he had written a check to the Pac-12 yet.
“God, it’s so tempting,” Kiffin said with a grin. “No, I haven’t.”
Kiffin hasn’t really been the headstrong 30-something coach that fans love to hate since returning to USC. He largely shrugged off the reputation that started during his messy 20-game tenure running the Raiders, which ended with late owner Al Davis calling him “a flat-out liar” who brought “disgrace” on Oakland after numerous disagreements, including his criticism of No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell.
At Tennessee, Kiffin made a series of deliberately bold public pronouncements to drum up interest in the Volunteers, but some were followed by apologies—most prominently after he falsely accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of cheating in recruiting. His abrupt departure for USC after just 14 months cemented his sleazy reputation in the minds of many football fans.
Kiffin had largely toed a line drawn by new athletic director Pat Haden, who has been determined to drain the USC program of the perceived arrogance that probably contributed to the massive NCAA sanctions leveled against the school shortly after Kiffin arrived. Kiffin and his staff also have kept the Trojans competitive despite a two-year bowl ban, probation and the specter of scholarship restrictions starting next year, even re-emerging as a Top-25 team last month.
Yet the Trojans have been on a recent run of impertinent statements that recalls their headline-making years under coach Pete Carroll, when they backed up their talk with seven straight Pac-10 titles and two national championships.
Quarterback Matt Barkley refused to take back his words after he was reprimanded by the Pac-12 last month for referring to Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict as a dirty player. A week ago, linebacker Chris Galippo and Barkley both said Notre Dame quit in the final minutes of its loss to the Trojans when the Irish declined to call timeouts during USC’s final drive with a 14-point lead. Galippo apologized for those postgame comments.
Kiffin wasn’t the only Trojan making qualified apologies on Tuesday. USC safety T.J. McDonald also expressed regret for a hit on Stanford receiver Chris Owusu that resulted in a half-game suspension at Colorado, although McDonald said he still didn’t know how he could have made the play another way.
“I apologized to my teammates for not being there for them in the first half on Friday,” McDonald said. “It’s going to drive me crazy.”
McDonald is the latest in USC’s long line of hard-hitting safeties including Ronnie Lott, Troy Polamalu, Taylor Mays—and his father, Tim, a two-time team MVP in 1985-86 before his 14-year career with the Cardinals and 49ers. Tim McDonald suggested his son might try wrapping up his targets in a two-armed tackle instead of leveling them with big hits.
“Maybe that doesn’t look as bad,” T.J. McDonald said.
Kiffin claims the Trojans will keep their fighting words to a minimum until their season ends on Nov. 26. He’s determined to observe the Pac-12’s policy, even if he has something nice to say about the officials.
“I’m sure they won’t be mad if it’s good,” Kiffin said, “but that’s the way it was relayed to me.”
NOTES: Starting RB Marc Tyler didn’t practice after missing most of the Stanford game with a shoulder injury. Kiffin said Tyler “doesn’t look good” to play at Colorado. Tyler has ceded a majority of the Trojans’ important carries in recent weeks to Curtis McNeal, who said he’s ready to move past his game-ending fumble. … LB Dion Bailey, who leads the Trojans with 67 tackles, missed practice with a concussion. … RB George Farmer, FB Rhett Ellison, DE Wes Horton, S Jawanza Starling and CB Torin Harris also missed much of practice, while star LT Matt Kalil rode off the field on a cart after apparently getting hurt late in practice.
