Ole Miss AD Keith Carter disputes Lane Kiffin’s 'fabricated' account of leaving

Jeff Hauser

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Ole Miss AD Keith Carter disputes Lane Kiffin’s 'fabricated' account of leaving image

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter on Wednesday firmly pushed back on Lane Kiffin’s version of events surrounding his exit to LSU, calling the former Rebels coach’s timeline “not accurate” and suggesting several of Kiffin’s recent claims were exaggerated.

While on Sportstalk Mississippi, Carter disputed Kiffin’s assertion that he learned Sunday morning he would not be permitted to coach Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff. Carter said that decision had been made “several weeks ago” and was communicated clearly to Kiffin and his representatives.

“The only wrinkle was if Auburn had beaten Alabama and we played in the SEC Championship,” Carter said. “But absolutely, it was very clear that coaching in the postseason was not going to be an option for Coach Kiffin.”

Carter also challenged Kiffin’s claim that players begged him to stay for the playoff run. He said the description of a team meeting, which was portrayed by Kiffin as emotional and unified support, but also largely embellished.

“I don’t think the way he portrayed that meeting was accurate,” Carter said. “There was a lot of pushback to him leaving. I think begging him to stay is an overstatement. Our players are starting to show what really happened.”

Carter further dismissed Kiffin’s story about being run off the road by angry fans, saying it “goes along with some things that have been said in the last 72 hours.”

The comments support the widening rift between Kiffin and Ole Miss as the fallout from his LSU departure continues.

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