"That dynamic is now playing out in the response to the decision of the longtime University of Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin to leave the team to become the new head coach at Louisiana State University. Kiffin led Ole Miss to a historic regular-season record of 11 wins and one loss, and the university is now poised to make its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. The Rebels have a real chance of winning a national championship."
"Imagine if a player had been playing footsie with two conference schools, as Kiffin did with LSU and the University of Florida after both programs fired their coaches in late October. Imagine if a player's family had boarded a private jet and been given a personal tour of the city that's home to the school courting his services- something Kiffin's family reportedly did in Baton Rouge, Louisiana."
"Actually, we don't have to guess, because similar scenarios have played out. When the former University of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava transferred to UCLA this past spring after reportedly holding out from practice because he wanted more name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation from Tennessee, his circumstance was used as an example of how player greed is ruining college football."
A pronounced double standard operates in college football where coaches' lucrative departures are treated as routine while comparable player actions are condemned. Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU after a reported seven-year, $91 million offer, imperiling Ole Miss's first College Football Playoff berth and a national championship opportunity. Kiffin reportedly engaged with multiple programs and involved family visits that resemble recruitment tactics typically criticized when used by players. Players who seek transfers or NIL compensation, such as Nico Iamaleava, have faced public rebuke, while commentators and former coaches offer divergent defenses of coach departures.
Read at The Atlantic
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