PALMER: War of words between LSU, Ole Miss is worthless

By Hunt Palmer

Ultimately, none of this is going to matter.

That seems hard to believe as the state of Mississippi hurls its vitriol at Lane Kiffin over an innocuous interview with a non-sports publication. LSU fans have rushed to their keyboards to defend their new coach. National media members have had their say, generally drilling Kiffin for another public relations misstep.

Opinions vary. The fact is that we’ll all move on from this he said/she said over time. All that will matter is Kiffin’s win-loss record at LSU. Pete Golding’s performance in Oxford matters too, but probably to a lesser extent.

If Kiffin makes four College Football Playoffs and wins a title, everyone in purple and gold, Kiffin included, will rejoice in the coup that pried him from a playoff team and bitter rival a state over. If he flames out a la Brian Kelly, those in Oxford will continue with their condescending refrain about his inability to win the biggest games and the soap opera that was his final month with the program. They’ll claim they “won the breakup.”

That will be the story. Not this.

But for now, we’re all stuck in this public relations whirlwind because it’s all we have until the results start to do the talking.

Speaking of the talking, Kiffin needs to stop it. Nothing is going to be gained from chatting with Vanity Fair or the nearly immediate follow up from On3. There is not one single sentence that could redeem him at Ole Miss. That fanbase will forever despise the way he exited. No fact, public relations spin, heartfelt complaint or outright fabrication will change the way Ole Miss fans feel about someone who left the team midseason for its second oldest rival.

For some reason, Kiffin seems to maintain some sort of belief that he can work his way back into the good graces of those in Mississippi by recalling his run of success on the field. That’s not going to happen, despite the fact that he lifted the program to its greatest heights in 60 years.

All Kiffin needs to say is that he felt, professionally, that LSU was a move he couldn’t pass up. Bigger stadium, geographic recruiting advantage, richer recent history of success, stronger brand, bigger contract. Hit the high notes about LSU.

Nearly everyone outside of Oxford would agree with all that. At this point, you leave Ole Miss out of further comments and focus on maximizing the potential you saw in your new job when you made the jump.

My take is that Kiffin yearns to be liked and appreciated. My advice to him is to channel that toward the job currently at hand, not the national folks. If asked about Ole Miss, “I don’t really have any comment on that,” works just fine. He did it about the LSU and Florida jobs for a month in press conferences. Stick with it.

Once he talks, he loses control of the narrative.

Based on the Vanity Fair quotes, Kiffin never called Ole Miss or the state of Mississippi racist. He said grandparents of recruits questioned it. He then had to try to quell those concerns. News flash, folks across the country, especially those in their 60s and 70s, have concerns over the South’s human rights record. That’s not exactly shocking when in context about Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia. It’s part of American history.

Kiffin said that hasn’t been a concern in Baton Rouge thus far. The city’s diversity has been a positive. He’s had six months of discussions while on the job at LSU. He had six years in Oxford. Maybe he’ll hear the same concerns in the future. Maybe he won’t. The fact that Baton Rouge is about 50 percent African-American and is home to Southern, an HBCU, probably helps.

But, again, this is only a story because Kiffin sat down and agreed to deliver one.

The film room is a quiet place. So is a boat in the Florida Keys. Stick to pickleball and time with the two kids who joined you in Baton Rouge. Less press trying to justify the decision would do everyone well.

Trinidad Chambliss fanned the flames with his comment about Pete Golding being “more of a team guy” than Kiffin. Ole Miss administrators have certainly denigrated Kiffin’s exit. Kiffin’s words have been the loudest.

September 19 carries seemingly immense weight for everyone involved. Truth be told, that game, like this media dust up, will be a footnote in this whole saga, too. The loser of the game won’t be folding its program though the winning fanbase will feel an inflated sense of worth for a few weeks.

Both programs have playoff aspirations and national title dreams. Those aren’t settled the third week in September no matter how lopsided the score gets in either direction.

Kiffin’s move, as evidenced by the timing of it, was for the next six to 10 years, not the next six weeks. We’re six months into those six years. This chapter hasn’t even truly begun.

Clicks and comments are racking up. It’s talking season and no one is winning. I’m over the talking and typing.

Let me know when we’re throwing and tackling.