Lane Kiffin Pre-Press Conference Drama

To play devils' advocate:

1. It's not longer just a TV concern to want video and live video. Every newspaper has a website and most want video.

2. Kiffin has the right to dictate terms of a one-on-one interview but not so much on a presser.

3. What is the point of making your objections known in a press conference for a coach who is leaving? What is that going to accomplish?

 

They said no video. They didn't say no audio. Roll the damn audio and use that.

 

Then it's tough cookies for everyone.

Why doesn't he? He's still free to talk in whatever forum he wants. It's not like's refusing to talk to a single group. He's refusing to talk on camera. That is not the same thing.

I think objections are aimed at the SID, so hopefully next time there's a situation like this he has a better understanding of why it's unfair, and he can say to the person: "Coach, it's not fair to do it that way."

 

I wouldn't tell him. Why would I do that? To me it's more of an in one ear, out the other.

I would listen to his demands/concerns/suggestions and do what's best for the reading/viewing public.

Seriously, I think we spend way to much time agreeing to demands from athletic departments that reward us with less and less and more controlled access.

We need to stop giving them so much control if all we get are crumbs with the hope of a piece of crust one day.

Hey, if the SID/AD usually treats you right, fine. Work with him.

But we keep acting like sheep and they'll control all the information that comes out of the athletic department.

 

I actually prefer the choice of blatantly ingoring his rules rather than holding up the whole thing while arguing to change them.

If you do that, you are pissing off the SID and the other media, but you are accepting that risk on your own, rather than penalizing everyone by blowing the whole interview.

 

I would have listened to his demands, ignored them and rolled my camera.

If he required a verbal answer. I would have said that I understood the ground rules.

 

Forget tears or laughter.

What if Kiffin decides to pull a Budd Dwyer and blow his brains out?

In Dwyer's case, one station had aired the press conference live. Others showed him up until the moment before he pulled the trigger.

Under Kiffin's rules, the stations wouldn't have had anything other than the audio, unless Kiffin did it during the 30 seconds that he allocated the TV people.

The stations wouldn't have been able to cover it, except the same way that a newspaper could. They would have a picture, and the guy's words.

A bit nutty, I know. But it's the same principle.

 

but this wasn't print vs. tv. this was print and tv and web and whoever else against one single tv guy/station.