"What's a college football season if you don't end it covered in shame? This year was even more shame-drenched than usual, especially if you held the most heralded position on the field: head coach. This season saw more mid-season coach firings than ever before, a knock-on effect of the arms race to get programs in top condition before the recruit- and transfer-signing bonanza begins."
"ESPN and the other sports networks are always happy to embarrass themselves to protect their sycophantic relationships with coaches and literally anyone in sports with any power. But the talking heads' performances on Saturday, where they seriously tried to argue why Kiffin should be allowed to coach his team through the playoff while simultaneously working for their rival program, took the cake. If these networks had integrity left they would feel ashamed of themselves."
"For the past two weeks, everyone has been on #LaneWatch, wondering if Lane Kiffin was going to do the most obvious thing in the world and take a better, more prestigious job over staying at an Ole Miss program that has been born again under his stewardship. The ultimate fate of the school he's jilting isn't of much actual concern-nobody really gives a fuck about Ole Miss."
The season featured an unprecedented number of mid-season coach firings driven by an arms race to ready programs for recruiting and transfer windows. High salaries have not shielded coaches from fan and AD impatience, and many face abrupt exits. The Lane Kiffin saga highlighted priorities: attention centered on whether a departing coach would lead his current team through postseason play while negotiating a new job. Broadcast networks defended such arrangements, prioritizing relationships with coaches and on-air personalities over ethical consistency. Media performances in defense of coaches revealed a willingness to normalize questionable conduct and inflate coverage around routine coaching moves.
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