Lane Kiffin’s messy exit from Oxford is far from over.
The renowned head coach just left the Ole Miss Rebels to take on the LSU Tigers‘ job, and while he drew plenty of criticism for the way he handled the situation, it sounds like there’s more to it.
Kiffin released a statement criticizing the decision not to let him finish the season and coach Ole Miss in the playoffs. An initial report said he let assistant coaches know that they should either follow him to Baton Rouge on Sunday or they wouldn’t get a job there at the end of the season. Kiffin disputed that, but now, another report has emerged on the situation.
Lane Kiffin’s assistants reportedly have until Monday to make a decision
According to a report by Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, Kiffin did, indeed, give his coaches an ultimatum. However, the deadline to make a decision is Monday.
“The reality is that they have more time. But not much,” Florio wrote. “Word is that they have until tonight to decide on whether to go. At that point, the vacant positions will be filled from the outside.”
The Rebels promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to be their new head coach. That gives whoever decides to stay some sort of sense of continuity and a small guarantee to keep their jobs if they don’t choose to leave and join a fellow SEC foe.
Even so, given the way things have gone down between Kiffin and his now-former employer, we might not be even close to the end of this story.