{"id":31396,"date":"2022-06-01T01:37:52","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T01:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/lane-kiffin-describes-sec-coaches-meeting-with-nick-saban-jimbo-fisher\/"},"modified":"2022-06-01T01:37:52","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T01:37:52","slug":"lane-kiffin-describes-sec-coaches-meeting-with-nick-saban-jimbo-fisher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/lane-kiffin-describes-sec-coaches-meeting-with-nick-saban-jimbo-fisher\/","title":{"rendered":"Lane Kiffin describes SEC coaches’ meeting with Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SEC coaches gathered in-person Tuesday for their first spring meetings since 2019, and there was no bigger story entering the week in Destin, Florida than Jimbo Fisher’s public spat with Nick Saban.<\/p>\n

Minutes after the doors of the hotel conference room swung open, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin stepped to a lectern and described what happened inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess the best way to describe it is our group is more professional in the room than they are when they’re on camera by themselves,\u201d Kiffin said. “[It\u2019s like] where people might say things on text where they wouldn’t in person. “<\/p>\n

The anticipated meeting, which will continue Tuesday with football coaches still present, is addressing issues such as NIL, the transfer portal, future scheduling models and other issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cPretty normal,\u201d Kiffin said of Tuesday’s session. “Probably the assumption is it’s different in there than you guys think and that the public thinks. Guys have jobs to do. They’re professionals. It’s probably a lot calmer than you may picture. “<\/p>\n

Coaches were arranged in the conference room alphabetically by school, except for Fisher, who was seated on one side of the room with SEC officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cJimbo is our chair,\u201d SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. \u201cIt’s a rotating chair. He was very engaged. What I said at the beginning was we need to have 14 football coaches focused and engaged in the conversation. Nobody can run silent on me. We have that from time to time. “<\/p>\n

Sankey added the conversation was \u201ccandid at times\u201d and there was \u201ca little bit of laughter\u201d at others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need the kind of meaningful concepts and ideas that will lead us to solutions for some of the problems we have,\u201d he said. “That’s the kind of healthy meeting we needed to have.”<\/p>\n

But Sankey said he could not speak to whether Saban and Fisher spoke to hash out what made national headlines earlier this month, including Fisher saying he was \u201cdone\u201d with Saban and would not take his calls.<\/p>\n

Saban reiterated Tuesday he has \u201cno problem\u201d with Fisher, who did not speak to reporters Tuesday.<\/p>\n

There was discussion in the wake of the Saban-Fisher exchange that Sankey essentially issued a gag order to SEC coaches, although Sankey clarified Tuesday evening that, “I think before we ever showed up, there was a recognition” of the need to keep the in-house disputes.<\/p>\n

Coaches seemed to receive the message.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is not to say anything ridiculously stupid so I don’t get yelled at in this coaches’ meeting,\u201d Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz said to begin his Tuesday morning news conference.<\/p>\n

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter <\/i>@mikerodak<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n