Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
It appears as if new LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin just can’t help but put himself in the spotlight, even if doing so opens both him and his program up to significant scrutiny.
Just last month, Kiffin publicly stated that he planned on staying out of the spotlight. Since that point, Kiffin has suggested that he left Ole Miss for LSU in part due to racism, and now he may have opened his program up to severe scrutiny from the NCAA.
In a recent appearance on the Barstool Sports Pardon My Take podcast, Kiffin explained how NIL has made his life easier as a college head coach. In doing so, he may have admitted to a significant NCAA rule violation.
Lane Kiffin Says That Fining Players NIL Money Has Made It Easier To Coach
According to Kiffin, now that players are publicly making money from both revenue sharing from schools and NIL deals, he can treat them more like professionals.
“With NIL and the portal, there’s a lot of problems that have been created,” he began. “I think with them getting paid, I don’t think that’s as challenging. I don’t think it’s as challenging to get guys to do things because we’re paying you. If you don’t want to do it, there’s a fine system, just like the NFL. I find it’s actually easier.
“They kind of, in their mind, think they’re like pros now – which is good. That’s how we talk to them. So you’ve got high expectations. ‘Hey, we expect you do these things. We expect you to do these things in the weight room, in the film room, all these different things.’
“If you want to be a normal student and not really do all those things, that’s fine. Go see the GM and give back half your money if you want to do half the work. So that way, I think it’s a little bit easier that way. You bring them in, ‘Hey, this is what you need to do.’ And if you don’t, there’s a fine system for those things, but also, what’s going to happen at the end of the year? You’re going to get cut.”
The NCAA Does Not Let Coaches Fine Players Directly
Now, that theory makes plenty of sense. And if college players were professional athletes, it would be a simple fix.
HOWEVER, the NCAA has fought hard in court and spent millions of dollars to ensure that college athletes are not deemed employees.
NIL deals are explicitly not meant to be tied to play, and revenue sharing is not to be tied to performance. If Kiffin is fining his players, he’s violating NCAA rules in the process.
Now, to be fair, Kiffin isn’t alone. Deion Sanders admitted to the same thing and seemingly faced no repercussions. It appears that fine systems have become commonplace across NCAA athletics.
But, by rule, they really aren’t supposed to be allowed. Which just goes to show how little power the NCAA actually has anymore.