Kiffin Kind of Tries to Tell Tennessee He Might Be Sorry

Lane Kiffin says he regrets how his departure from Tennessee came down, and if he had to do it over again, there would be a farewell news conference that would last longer than one minute.

"I really tried to do the right thing with the media there," Kiffin told the Knoxville News-Sentinel. "When you look around the nation, when coaches leave places, they don't address the media at the places they're leaving. They usually talk to their team and they get out of there.

"That kind of backfired on me. I guess I would have done that different and do what everybody else does, and just takeoff."

Kiffin said he planned for the news conference to go longer, but a disagreement between Tennessee's sports information department and a local TV station ended any chance of an extended conversation.

According to reports, live cameras were barred from the news conference and Kiffin wanted to allow only 30 seconds of video from the event. WBIR and WATE refused to abide by that restriction.

Kiffin also tried to explain his relationship with David Reaves, who was the Volunteer quarterback coach.

Reaves, who is Kiffin's brother in law, learned that his sister's husband was leaving while he was sitting in a restaurant watching TV.

Reaves was passed over by Kiffin for a job on the USC staff.

"When you take a job, so many things go into your staff structure and makeup of it [such as] the direction sometimes that an athletic director or president wants you to go as well," Kiffin said. "There are a lot of things that went into that decision that were not based solely on business at all."

Reaves found work this week. He was named quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at New Mexico.

Thanks to Image of Sport.

Comments

[T-Bone]

Who is Kiffin kidding? When coaches leave or get fired they usually have a press conference or grant interviews with the local media. They also don't make demands to the local media and then refuse to take questions. His immature unprofessional behavior is perfect for a school like USC.