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Lane Kiffin says Ole Miss fans tried to run him off the road on way to airport
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- Lane Kiffin says Ole Miss fans tried to run him off the road on way to airport
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a response to Lane Kiffin's claims from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety .
If Lane Kiffin is to be believed, the streets of Oxford, Mississippi were a George Miller movie while he was heading to the airport to leave for Baton Rouge.
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During his introductory news conference at LSU , the coach claimed he had to call a police officer since he was being "run off the road" by Mississippi fans after leaving the Rebels ahead of what is assumed to be a playoff run. Per Kiffin, his son Knox was in the car, and the vitriol was so great it made him reexamine his time in Oxford.
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"Call a cop that you know so they'll help you," Kiffin said. "Because you personally know them because you are leaving the state. And you gotta turn around, and people are screaming at you you know, trying to run you off the road I don't know what they're gonna do. And so that... That affects you. And that airport scene, and all the things being said, I understand that. It's the passion. But they're saying that about you, that you thought you did a really good job for six years for them. And that affects you. And even on the plane down there I'm kind of like 'yeah we made this decision but like, god I really...' You know?"
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety on Dec. 3 denied Kiffin's claims . A spokesperson from the department told Mississippi Today that Kiffin received a safety escort from Mississippi Highway Patrol, adding that its offers had no record of anyone trying to run him off the road.
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In response to Kiffin's departure, Mississippi promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the head coaching job . Kiffin was 55-19 with the Rebels, the third-winningest coach in program history behind Billy Brewer (68 wins) and Johnny Vought (190 wins). However, the backlash has been swift and ferocious due to the timing and the drawn-out process of him leaving.
Even so, Kiffin said he felt vindicated when he landed in Baton Rouge.
"I saw the board there, and I saw the leadership," he said. "And I felt the power of this place. And then I get in the car. And as we're driving out and there's the fans. Just all of them out there at the airport. And their excitement and their passion."
Kiffin mentioned the attempts to run him off the road two other times in his news conference, though neither other allusion had quite as much backstory.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lane Kiffin alleges being 'run off the road' by angry Ole Miss fans
