Paul Finebaum ripped Lane Kiffin for his involvement in the ongoing college football eligibility drama.
During an appearance on “SEC Nation” on Saturday morning, Finebaum called the new LSU coach a “child” while blasting the way the school has handled its effort to bring former NFL players back to the college ranks.
“In the end, he’s a child,” Finebaum said.
“He’s a 51-year-old man acting like a 16-year-old. The worst part is there are no adults in the room.”
Finebaum’s comments came after a chaotic week in which LSU pursued adding former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, both of whom spent time with NFL teams this summer, before leaving them off the roster for Saturday’s season opener against Clemson.
A Louisiana judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday to open the door for Wright and Harris to return to the college level, despite opposition from the NCAA, SEC and other conferences.
The conference filed a federal lawsuit against Kiffin and LSU as it sought to prevent former professional players from returning to SEC rosters.
Finebaum praised SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, calling him a “hero” for helping “preserve the identity of a great league.”
“What happened down there has left a stain on this league,” Finebaum said. “I know it’s not going to happen, and it probably shouldn’t happen, but if the presidents of the SEC took a vote today, they very well might vote to kick LSU out of the league.
“Fans out there wouldn’t be the least bit upset about it.”
Kiffin addressed leaving Wright and Harris off the season-opening roster during an appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” hours after Finebaum’s comments.
“That wasn’t easy,” he said. “I’m the head coach at LSU, and I had to make a decision for the big picture of LSU, with the uncertainties of what could come by adding them to the roster.”
