Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin Fined $25K for Criticizing Officials; SEC Admits Error

The SEC announced it fined Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin $25,000 after he criticized the officiating in the Rebels' 35-28 loss to Auburn last Saturday.

At issue was the kickoff after Jerrion Ealy's touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Auburn running back Shaun Shivers appeared to touch the ball before it went into the end zone for a touchback. After the game, Kiffin retweeted a post about the controversy.

The SEC concluded that the play should have been reviewed, justifying Kiffin's criticism. However, his social media actions still warranted a fine.

Kiffin later floated out the idea of paying the fine in pennies:

While Kiffin violated the letter of the law, some questioned whether he violated the spirit of SEC Bylaw 10.5:

Ole Miss has a strong case to argue the mistake cost the team a victory. If the right call was made, the Rebels' Tylan Knight would have had a fumble recovery in the end zone and a two-score lead with less than six minutes remaining.

Instead, Auburn was still down only one point, 28-27. The Tigers punted on the possession immediately after the kickoff, but a 58-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Seth Williams on their next drive with 1:11 left won the game.

Prior to the conference's statement, Kiffin said he had spoken with SEC head of officiating John McDaid about the matter and expressed frustration about how he couldn't reveal what was said during the discussion.

"I really wish for our players, for our fans, that they could hear what I was just told," Kiffin said, per the Clarion Ledger's Nick Suss. "I think they deserve to. But I asked. They made sure to tell me there's a policy that I can't tell you, the players or the fans what their, if you want to call it, explanation for that situation and how TV copy and everybody in the country can see it hit him."

The SEC's formal admission provides Kiffin with vindication but is unlikely to leave him with any satisfaction.