Lane Kiffin's claims have now been fact-checked by Mississippi authorities amid the ongoing saga over his move from Ole Miss to LSU. Kiffin, who used to be the Rebels' head coach before choosing the Baton Rouge team, claimed that he had to call a police officer because fans were trying to run him off the road on the way to the airport.
Lane Kiffin vs Mississippi authorities
A video of Kiffin's clip was shared by Outkick-Fox reporter Trey Wallace. In the clip, Kiffin mentioned how such an incident ‘affected’ a person.
However, Kiffin's claims have been contradicted by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. MDPS Commissioner, Sean Tindell, was asked about the allegations that someone tried to run Kiffin off the road on Sunday, in Oxford. In the video, the commissioner clearly states that they didn't receive any such report indicating someone was trying to run coach Kiffin off the road.
“He had a safe trip, and he’s on his way,” Tindell said. Bailey Holloway, a spokesperson for the department, told Mississippi Today had Kiffin had a safety escort from Mississippi Highway Patrol at the time he was going to the airport. The agency's officers also do not have any record of a vehicle trying to run the coach off the road, the spokesperson added.
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{{/usCountry}}“He had a safe trip, and he’s on his way,” Tindell said. Bailey Holloway, a spokesperson for the department, told Mississippi Today had Kiffin had a safety escort from Mississippi Highway Patrol at the time he was going to the airport. The agency's officers also do not have any record of a vehicle trying to run the coach off the road, the spokesperson added.
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{{/usCountry}}Notably, videos circulating online showed fans at the airport or near it, flipping off Kiffin's plane as it departed for Baton Rouge.
Lane Kiffin called out by Ole Miss players
Three Ole Miss players also called out Kiffin's version of events as he outlined in his farewell statement. They alleged that Kiffin was not forthcoming about how the incident had actually gone down.
“There's been a lot of things he said publicly that I’m not sure are totally accurate,” Mississippi athletic director Keith Carter said Wednesday during an appearance on a Mississippi talk show. Kiffin's claim that players wanted him to finish out the season was contradicted by the likes of Brycen Sanders and linebacker Suntarine Perkins.