Kiffin’s confirmed car crash furthers allegations

By Adam Silverstein
January 19, 2010

The Internet has been buzzing with rumors about how former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin carried on during his time in Knoxville, TN. The following are all allegations being made against Kiffin by a variety of Web sites who claim to have solid leads and (in some cases) photo evidence to support their claims:

Read the many allegations and OGGOA’s questions after the jump!

– Kiffin crashed his University of Tennessee-provided Lexus into a tree while driving under the influence on Sept. 8. This accident occurred just outside his home in West Knoxville.

– That same evening, Kiffin was fraternizing with co-eds at a local sports bar, something he did quite often “after hours.” He and the girls left the sports bar in this same Lexus.

– When Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin visited Kiffin in Knoxville on April 3, the two along with Kiffin’s brother-in-law and staffer David Reaves drank and flirted with co-eds while attending a party together.

– Tennessee boosters “maintained a downtown apartment in Knoxville that was commonly referred to as Kiffin’s ‘rendezvous place.'”

– An area sports bar stayed open late for Kiffin, a handful of the Volunteers’ boosters and several co-eds, a group of which (allegedly including Kiffin) “left the club to continue their fun at the downtown apartment.”

But here is where everything gets interesting. Both an employee of the Lexus dealership and a “high-ranking” school official have confirmed that Kiffin was indeed involved in the accident detailed in these articles; however, reports state that the incident occurred in August, not September. Kiffin, asked about the accident by Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton, said he had been working late at the football complex and fell asleep at the wheel while driving home. Making the story even more interesting is that no accident report was filed by Kiffin in 2009 according to the Knoxville Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office, though the Lexus dealer claims that the authorities were informed of the accident and Kiffin’s insurance paid for the car’s damages.

These conflicting reports leave a variety of questions unanswered.

When did Kiffin’s accident actually occur? Did he crash his car while under the influence? Was there a cover-up by local law enforcement and/or the university? Did Kiffin flee the scene of an accident on foot? Is he guilty of some of the same things that got Larry Eustachy fired? Did Tomlin actually think he could learn something from watching Kiffin coach? Does this “rendezvous place” really exist? How involved were the team’s boosters in these events? Will Kiffin be held accountable by the USC Trojans if these allegations are proven true? What man in his right mind finds a need to cheat on a beautiful Florida Gators fan like this woman? Finally, why are all of these allegations coming out in January 2010 (after Kiffin has wronged the city and school) rather than three or four months ago when the events allegedly occurred?