Kiffin Reprimanded, but the Announcement is a Bit Overboard, No?
by Year2 on Oct 26, 2009 3:34 PM EDT
in SEC Football
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PrintSo Lane Kiffin got a reprimand from the SEC for criticizing the refs after the Tennessee-Alabama game. We knew this was coming. Bobby Petrino got one last week for much less. Did it really deserve this on the SEC's official website?
I get that they're trying to go the fancy design route with large pictures because that's what the kids like these days. However, the choice of picture and the fact that the conference chose to make this a major headline along with things like game highlights and a selection of the plays of the week makes it look like someone in the league office has it out for the man. I will say this though: I like the scowling visage of Ed Orgeron behind him on the right. It's like a fun little Easter egg.
I can't blame Kiffin for being upset that Alabama got only one flag while his team got eight, especially given that Tennessee is the least penalized team in the conference this year. I don't buy his comments about trying to avoid "magical flags" causing him to play it conservatively at the end of the game though. He played it conservative the whole game. There's no reason to think he wouldn't have continued to do so at the end. He's also wrong about saying that a reprimand letter "really means nothing" because once you get three of them in a calendar year, the league can fine or suspend you.
Notably missing from the site is a press release announcing the reprimand for Dan Mullen criticizing the officials. I mean, it is coming, right? He complained just as vehemently (though without the insinuation of a conspiracy) after his game.
UPDATE
Here's Mullen's announcement, but the graphics department gives him the Wilson from Home Improvement treatment.
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I think this is the line that has drawn the SEC's ire
``I’m sure we’ll get one of those letters that mean nothing, that Bobby (Petrino) got last week,’’
"We intend to go out and hit people in the mouth. That's how we play. We're going to run the ball at you and we're going to stop you from running the ball. That's our personality, and we're going to have fun doing it." - Rolando McClain
I would think the “but Florida and Alabama live on” line that right came after that would make the league office more mad because it insinuates a conspiracy to protect the Gators and Tide.
Team Speed Kills
SBNation's SEC Blog
True
a conspiracy was implied. My understanding was that he was referring to the reprimand letter, in which case that statement implies that the SEC’s decisions and penalties carry no weight. Thats pretty brash.
"We intend to go out and hit people in the mouth. That's how we play. We're going to run the ball at you and we're going to stop you from running the ball. That's our personality, and we're going to have fun doing it." - Rolando McClain
Kiffin’s defenders are claiming that he was referring to an “apology” letter from the league rather than a reprimand. On a not unrelated note, I have a nice bridge in Brooklyn if you’re in the market.
I also think it’s the conspiracy talk rather than complaints about specific calls that are bringing the SEC down on him so quickly. They are simply not going to tolerate those kind of allegations.
Actually, it looked pretty clear from context
That the meaningless letter to which he referred was an apology. He was talking about having lost the game and saying that no letter from the SEC is going to change it to a W.
That said, it’s my understanding that he’s wrong on whether a Cody penalty would’ve helped at all. So he probably shouldn’t have spoken, unless he’s trying to protect Daniel Lincoln’s ego.
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 26, 2009 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions
No word on whether or not...
Anyone cares enough about my Commodores to notice that we got royally screwed this weekend too. Coach Johnson… awaiting your reprimand —> http://ow.ly/wHdx
He's savvy
I don’t think Johnson will get a reprimand for that. He cleverly offered his opinion and then said he’d contact Rogers Redding about it. He didn’t out right say the refs were absolutely wrong and that calls were bad, as Petrino, Kiffin, and Mullen all did, but rather he went with a, “I saw something different, and I’m going to ask the league for a review” route. I think that’s enough to avoid a nastygram from Mike Slive.
Not coincidental: Johnson’s tenure as a head coach in the league is greater than Petrino’s, Kiffin’s, and Mullen’s combined. Even if he still winds up with a letter, he will have come a lot closer to not getting one than the other three.
Team Speed Kills
SBNation's SEC Blog
My...
take on the Vandy-USC calls. I don’t think any of it was as clear cut as Johnson insinuates, insinuate being the right word here. Johnson took a politic approach to his wording, although you can see where he’s going.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
by Gamecock Man on Oct 26, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions
The SEC is getting a little tired of this, no?
They’re not going to be able to keep a lid on it, though. Could you imagine the PR on this one…
Yeah, we suspended coach XXX because he didn’t like the officiating in game YYY. By the way, the officiating in game YYY was bad. We’re suspending the officials.
High times, right there. ;-)
Rules are rules
If the officials don’t perform to their duty, they get suspended. Coaches badmouth the league/officials, they get reprimanded and eventually suspended. I’m sure the league hates it, but any sort of uneven application will attract even more “favoritism” charges, if not outright conspiracy.
by Giant Catfish on Oct 26, 2009 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah
They kind of boxed themselves in with the rules, but I get where they’re coming from. It’s not good for the conference to have coaches airing dirty laundry in the press. Slive would rather have coaches use the official internal channels to question officiating.
But, coaches are also politicians and they have to play to their bases. Every coach at some point has to say certain things publicly (including questioning refs) to keep the fans on his side. There will always be coaches saying bad things about officiating in public, either for political purposes or simply out of frustration. That’s why there’s a three strike rule built in.
Team Speed Kills
SBNation's SEC Blog
Yeah, the SEC has sort of boxed itself into a corner
It has publicly admitted that its officials have been bad, but now it is punishing coaches for saying the same.
I’m the biggest Kiffin supporter there is, but I actually don’t think this particular comment was necessary. I didn’t see the MSU game, so I don’t have any opinion on that. But Petrino was right to raise a stink. I would have done the same thing if I were him. There are bad calls and there are egregiously bad calls.
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