During his weekly press conference on Wednesday, LSU football coach Brian Kelly took the time to make a hilarious dig at Ole Miss contemporary Lane Kiffin.
College football is a money monster. And conferences across the country have built lucrative relationships with some of the biggest brands in the world. The SEC is the biggest in the sport, and the mega-conference has long had popular soft drink maker Coca-Cola as one of its major sponsors.
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However, at his press conference on Monday, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin arbitrarily questioned the relevance of the legendary drink. “There’s 130 percent of the sugar for the whole day in that one bottle,” he said during a break between reporters’ questions.
It was an odd moment, and an odd criticism, in an era when sponsors aren’t afraid to pull their contracts and take their sponsorship money elsewhere. In his own press conference this week, however, LSU Tigers football coach Brian Kelly saw a golden opportunity – not only to smooth over any furor Kiffin may have caused, but also to subtly address the silliness of the Ole Miss coach’s comment.
Brian Kelly’s record (career): 186-69
LSU head coach Brian Kelly praises Coca-Cola in a hilarious way
“Just a shout out to our sponsor Coke,” Kelly said at the start of the press conference. “Smart Water is a great Coke product. Minerals, vitamins, it’s just great for you, refreshing, healthy and Coke gives you all the products you need. Depending on what you like, and I love Smart Water,” he said, taking a big swig from his bottle of Smart Water.
It was a perfect turnaround moment for the 21-year-old head coach, who knows the importance of not getting into fights with major sponsors. It was also a chance for Kelly to laugh, as Kiffin had the last laugh in 2023 when his Ole Miss team inflicted a surprise 55-49 loss on Kelly and LSU. That should make this year’s game even more interesting.
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