High Profile SEC Head Football Coach Sued Over Social Media Post
Social media is going to be "lit" in the Gulf South this fall. Not only will we have a major national political election to deal with but we have big changes in the Southeastern Conference and the football that is played in that conference. I would be willing to bet that more than a few folks in Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma will be paying more attention to football this fall than they do to politics.
No, I'm not suggesting that football is more important than choosing a leader for our nation, I am telling you that football is far more important, especially in the Gulf South. And the best coaches in college football know how to use social media platforms to their advantage. They know when to "tweet" (or should that now be "X") to get a recruit's attention or to motivate their fan bases. They can also post some stupid things that can get them into trouble.
One prolific poster on social media who now finds himself in a bit of a legal pickle is the always-talkative Lane Kiffin. Kiffin is the head coach for the University of Mississippi. He has also served time at the University of Tennessee and worked with Coach Nick Saban at Alabama for a while. So Lane Kiffin is no stranger to the conference, the fan bases, and the hot water social media posts can create.
According to the Clarion Ledger, which is a newspaper in Jackson, Mississippi, Kiffin and his social media posts are the target of a lawsuit filed against him earlier this week. The suit alleges that a social media post made by Kiffin resulted in a copyright infringement against the author of a book entitled "Winning Isn't Normal". The book's author, Dr. Keith Bell, seeks damages from Kiffin as a result of a post on "X" back in 2016.
The author sent Kiffin a cease and desist letter and the post was removed. However, in March of 2022, Kiffin posted a photograph of a passage with the headline "WINNING ISN'T NORMAL". The suit filed against Kiffin claims the passage was identical to a passage in Dr. Bell's book.
The lawsuit describes the post by Kiffin as being commercial in nature and that appears to be where the basis of the lawsuit lies. So far neither Kiffin nor the University of Mississippi have commented on the litigation. Ole Miss, as U of M is known, opens the 2024 football season on August 31 against Furman. The Rebels are currently ranked #6 in that nation behind Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, and Alabama.
We should note that of the top six schools, three of them are SEC schools. Also, nine of the top 20 college football programs are SEC members. See, we told you football was way more important than politics.
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Gallery Credit: Scott Clow