Lane Kiffin has deleted all social media apps from his phone, a move he initially made as a challenge from his son Knox.
The LSU head football coach revealed this during an appearance at SEC Media Days, where he spoke to reporters about his decision to distance himself from social media. Kiffin explained that his son Knox had challenged him to get off social media, and he took the challenge seriously. "Really, it just started with Knox, my son, was sitting there and he's like, 'You're on social media; I bet you couldn't get off,'" Kiffin said, via Baton Rouge radio host Matt Moscona. "If you follow me, if you tell me I can't do something, that's really a good way to get me to do it."
Kiffin has reportedly been off social media since June 18, when he posted a message on X, referring back to a May 11 post. In that post, he included a quote, "They have no idea who you are becoming. Time to go ghost." The decision to delete his social media apps has been a liberating experience for Kiffin, who has found himself more present in the moment. "Now it's been a couple months and it's been really refreshing," Kiffin added. "I've talked to a lot of family, friends, even players and encouraged them to take a break because what happens is, when you're on it — this is what I found, that you don't really realize until you're off of it — it's really taken over what we used to say we were worried about our kids doing. The adults are just as bad."
Kiffin's decision to distance himself from social media comes at a time when he is under scrutiny for comments he made in a Vanity Fair profile about recruiting players to Ole Miss. In the profile, Kiffin claimed that a lack of racial diversity in Oxford, Mississippi made it difficult to convince athletes to play for the Rebels. He also mentioned that players' parents were put off by the school's association with the Confederate flag, the Colonel Rebel mascot, and the University of Mississippi's "Ole Miss" nickname.
Kiffin's self-imposed exile from social media coincides with his reputation for trolling fans and rival coaches on social media. Georgia coach Kirby Smart has even acknowledged Kiffin's behavior, saying, "Yep, that's him." A troll, according to Smart, likes to "stir the pot" and "poke fun" at rivals.
It remains to be seen how long Kiffin will maintain his social media detox. He has not deleted his accounts, and they are likely to remain a vital recruiting tool for the LSU football program. For now, however, Kiffin is enjoying the freedom of being offline.
Source: Yahoo Sports