Lane Kiffin and Art Briles are lightening rods, albeit for very different reasons. While Lane Kiffin is something of a public relations buffoon, he’s never done anything deplorable on par with Art Briles.
But any story linking the two is going to get a lot of attention. Yesterday, news started to circulate that the Kiffin and the FAU Owls were using Briles as a consultant capacity ahead of the 2017 season.
Kiffin, who employs Kendal Briles as part of his coaching staff, has reportedly had contact with Art Briles and discussed some of the offense with him.
“Somebody texted me and wanted to know why I hired Art Briles, and I was like, ‘What?'”
Addressing the issue head on with ESPN, Kiffin says he’s had contact with Briles “probably twice,” but that the former Baylor coach is not involved with the day-to-day operations in any capacity.
To be fair, nobody thought Kiffin had hired Briles in an official capacity. Given the nature of Briles’ exit with his former employer, the public objected to the fact that Art Briles was involved in collegiate athletics in any capacity, official or otherwise.
This is part of what Kiffin signed up for when he brought Kendal Briles onto his staff. While Kendal Briles has a relationship with his father that you’d expect him to utilize, any notions of Art Briles having his hand on an FBS team will stir controversy.
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