Yikes…Ole Miss football player reportedly files lawsuit against Lane Kiffin, university

Good post overall. On this: gosh I miss institutional integrity.

 

Integrity and accountability are fading virtues

 

LK is a dick. Period. And if the kid is actually sick, UM is going to take a hit, and that's OK too. They hired the SOB knowing he has a very checkered past and they deserve to reap some just deserts. I personally hope LK does face some kind of consequences for his deeply unprofessional behavior. I'm not holding my breath though.

 

We are talking about the state of Mississippi. If Kiffin exceeds, meets, or only barely fails to meet expectations, and the school decides to fire him for cause, then they will have to put the decision maker(s) in the Witness Protection Program. However, if it serves as an excuse not to pay him his buyout (as in the Hugh Freeze case; if anyone thinks Ole Miss leadership actually cared if he stepped out with hookers as long as he was winning, then I have a bridge to sell you), then of course they’ll use it.

 

Good on you - excellent post

 

I think an OOC settlement if Kiffen is innocent is a terrible look. It just lends credibility to the complaint, which will certainly be used against Ole Miss when it comes to recruitment. I can just hear, "Are those the kind of conditions and treatment you want your child to face if they sign with Ole Miss?"

 

I used to work in the prison system, and virtually everyone that walks in thru the prison gates finds God. The problem is that so many people fall for that and believe them. Then they revert back to who they truly are as people. Not saying Freeze hasn't truly regretted his actions, but only time will tell.

 

I don't know whether he did or didn't do what he's accused of and not making a judgment either way in this situation, but whether the world has gone soft or not, it has never been acceptable to talk to someone like that. Hatefulness and rudeness aren't acceptable regardless of what age you've lived in.

 

Good questions.

 

You put your finger right on it...as I qualified in my earlier posts on this subject, that all depends on the existence/non-existence of damning phone recordings, actual medical issues that are now documented that could/should have been recognized by staff, etc. Certain crude, off-putting, potentially damaging remarks by the HC could influence the decision making of a school that probably wants this to go away ASAP. IMHO, those are the factors that will determine the strategies and purposes of the litigants. If they settle OOC, which they probably will, you can bet the farm they had good reason. Determining guilt, liability, or accountability in a specific case is up to the courts. But speaking as a fan, giving LK the benefit of the doubt as things stand now is a big ask. You can count on LK/UM doing what will bring the least expense now and the fewest problems in the future. It's a blackeye, no matter what.

 

This is very true but we didn’t sue someone every time our feeling were hurt. Punch kiffy in his mouth.

 

Nah, they handled it in a much more civilized manner, by going outside and shooting at one another. I kid, I kid.

 

Won’t talk shit twice

 

The F around and find out graphs were much steeper back then.

 

Kept most mouths from running so much.

 

I have to shake my head at some of the assumptions here and remain impressed at how confidently people will speak on things that they clearly know nothing about.

Like I said earlier, I have no knowledge about this specific situation, but, unlike literally everyone else posting in this thread, I have actually worked with the football team's academic support team before for various things that come up with student athletes. This quote from the original ESPN article frankly doesn't make any sense based on those experiences (which none of you have, frankly):

"The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi Oxford Division and obtained by ESPN, alleges that at the time of the incident, Ole Miss "did not have written institutional procedures for routine mental health referrals." It also states that Kiffin, the rest of the coaching staff and the football athletic trainers weren't provided with "role-appropriate training about the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders and the behaviors of student-athletes to monitor that may reflect psychological concerns."

The athletic/academic support team here are the most supportive group I've ever worked with at any university for which I've worked. I'm as curious as anyone as to what happened and what it was that broke down, but it's really hard to take the accusations at face value based on prior experience. It doesn't mean it didn't happen, but it's just so 180 degrees from the way that group operates in my experience. Athletes get referrals for at least some things to mental health professionals here. I don't know the ins and outs of how, why, and when that happens, but there are some scenarios where it does. At the very least, there is a lot more to this than the above.

I can believe Lane said that. Coaches curse, but to paraphrase what one of our players said in the two part series about the Mullen years that was posted here, it's not getting sweared at that's unusual, it's why. it's hard to believe it just went from 0 to 100 immediately, and there is some indication that it didn't.

But, what do I know? I just actually know some of the folks who work over there and have worked with them myself before. Maybe I should give myself a lobotomy and refill the hole with Barstool tweets.

 

Hugh Freeze doing Baptisms

Auburn students rush into lake for impromptu baptisms as football coach lends a hand at massive worship event

 

I’m going to reply to both of you here.

There’s a massive, massive difference between adversity and serious mental health complications. Does that excuse this former player from what’s likely a frivolous lawsuit? No.

You don’t deal with a major illness by “sucking it up,” and frankly, this attitude is often what leads people to quietly suffer until they break.

I was that dude and almost offed myself three times before I got the help I needed. Legitimate bipolar (read: not self-diagnoses) disorder isn’t fun. It’s only been in the last two years I’ve even been willing to discuss how serious things got because people foolishly think that legitimate brain disorders are cured by checks notes sunlight or whatever. Advocacy matters when you’re on the other side.

• Reasonable accommodation for mental health issues is logical. Keep in mind that this means that the person still must perform their job function. Simply not showing up to practice without communication does not, IMO, fulfill the latter.
• Dismissing, smearing, or otherwise minimizing how absolutely [expletive] devastating serious mental issues are is, at best, dehumanizing. I’ve been the guy on the other side of the line when a kid I’m trying to help is actively self-harming because their father told them to do exactly what you posted.
  
• Best to see how the lawsuit plays out. I share a similar view expressed here that they’ll be a settlement and hope that the accuser goes away. Note: I don’t assume a settlement validates guilt.

I mean this in all sincerity: I’m deeply envious of those who don’t have to deal with these things. I’m grateful I had the support to push myself into a better place. I’m thrilled I’ve taken the steps I need to. I’m also lucky in that I’m not a kid in an environment that dismisses mental health as weakness and that I have the healthcare I need to afford the help that pulled me out of a bad, bad place. If this kid sincerely has problems, I pray he gets the care he needs.

 

In any profession, if you don't show up for work for weeks and then just show up one day expecting everything to be ok, you are sadly mistaken. In 13 companies I've worked for, security shows up, takes the person to their desk, helps them pack their things and escorts them out, taking any company-owned materials.

 

That's all well and good and so 2023 California dreamin and so on. Kumbaya.

But the kid filed a Federal Lawsuit.

Ole Miss could sanction the bejesus out of itself, be contrite and grovel at his feet and then anoint them with oil, but the lawsuit isn't going away.

The kid is after money.

And, why do you assume that he is right, and Ole Miss is wrong? Why should they kiss his arse, especially since it won't matter anyway?