It seems Lane Kiffin got a healthy dose of his own medicine. Not surprisingly, he doesn’t like the taste.
Kiffin says he was lied to by PAC-12 officials in the waning seconds of regulation of Southern California’s 56-48 triple-overtime loss to Stanford last Saturday, contending he informed an official he wanted to take a timeout after the completion of the last play of regulation. Yesterday the PAC-12 slapped the USC coach with a $10,000 fine for violating league policy regarding criticizing officials.
I don’t know whether or not the game’s side judge, Brad Glenn, guaranteed the request as Kiffin stated, and I don’t know if there was time to grant a timeout after receiver Robert Woods was tackled inbounds on the last play of the regulation.
I do know the irony of the entire situation is sweet. Lane Kiffin is upset because he thinks someone in a position of authority lied to him? Wow. I’ll bet there’s more than few who felt the way Kiffin feels today when he bolted Tennessee after one season for USC. I also think it’s comical Kiffin was the one tabbed to lift USC from the flames of NCAA scandal.
This has always been my problem with big-money college sports. We say it’s all about the kids when the truth is, it’s all about the money and not at all about the kids. In fact, when I hear say someone, “…it’s all about the kids,” that’s when I know it’s got nothing to do with the kids.
Regards…
~ T.C. Cameron is a three-sport official and writer from Annapolis, Maryland.
The Write Referee 