Pahokee coach confused, saddened by Kiffins comments

#1
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bburger991

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GAINESVILLE -- Florida wasn't the only school Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin took a shot at on Thursday. The Vols' coach also called into question the people at Pahokee Middle/High School.

While addressing a crowd of about 1,000 people at the Knoxville Convention Center, Kiffin said that receiving a faxed National Letter of Intent from Pahokee receiver Nu'Keese Richrdson on Wednesday was made difficult by the staff at Pahokee. Kiffin inferred that Pahokee High wanted to somehow prevent Richardson from signing with UT.

"You can't understand how hard this is to get done," Kiffin said. "[UT assistant coach] Eddie [Gran] had this set up at 7 o'clock in the morning. [Richardson's aunts] got the papers signed by the kid. They didn't go do it at the school because they knew somebody at the school was going to screw it up. The fax machine wouldn't work, or they would have changed the signatures, all the things that go on in Pahokee now. The aunts took it over to a junior high, found a fax machine that worked and faxed them over to us at 7 o'clock, and I kept it in a drawer till their 1 o'clock press conference."

Pahokee coach Blaze Thompson said on Thursday he was "confused" by Kiffin's comments. For starters, there isn't a junior high in Pahokee. Pahokee High School and Pahokee Middle are the same school. Thompson said that Kiffin must have been talking about Pahokee Elementary, where Richardson's aunt works.

Thompson said that he has been friends with the Richardson family for 20 years and also said, "I wouldn't think they would say something like that about me."

Thompson was troubled by Kiffin's apparent fear that Pahokee had the intentions to somehow sabotage Richardson's attempt to fax his National Letter of Intent to Tennessee.



"I'm just confused," Thompson said. "I don't know where he would get we screw up faxes or change signatures. No player here has ever been coerced by me or anyone else at the school to go to one school or the other. Pahokee is certainly not a Florida school. [UF cornerback] Janoris [Jenkins] was our first to go there in a long time. We would have been proud for [Richardson] to go to Florida but we're just

as proud he went to Tennessee, although with these statements, I'm confused why [Kiffin] would bash a school he would get a commitment from."



Thompson said he looks forward to speaking with Kiffin and "hearing what this is all about."



"We have to deal with Tennessee and we're going to maintain a professional relationship with them," Thompson said. "They've got a great kid and a great player. We've never had anyone at Tennessee and we're excited about it. This is really sad that Coach Kiffin would make these kinds of statements.



"You put your heart into working with kids and any time your professionalism or your character is questioned it takes you back and makes you concerned."

Gator Clause
 
#2
#2
All the other stuff that has been said today in regards to CUM, Orgeron with M Brown has made me laugh.

These quotes suck! I hope CLK makes this right.
 
#4
#4
Well its probably the fact that Kiffin is badmouthing one of the schools that produces some of the most talent in the country. That's not a good thing.
 
#5
#5
I wish CLK would settle down a little on his eccentric style of personality sometimes.
 
#7
#7
If it isn't true, then why would Kiffin say so? Plus he didn't directly refer to that coach, he just spoke of the high school.
 
#8
#8
Yep... I could give a crap about CUM, but this guy comes across as a decent person in his quotes.

There's probably more to the story, though.
 
#10
#10
OHvol40 said:
If it isn't true, then why would Kiffin say so? Plus he didn't directly refer to that coach, he just spoke of the high school.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Obviously, they had reason to be worried about Richardson's papers not being sent or screwed up. People need to stop looking for a reason to get their feelings hurt.
 
#11
#11
ivtec_jrod said:
I wish CLK would settle down a little on his eccentric style of personality sometimes.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Kiffin did well with this recruiting class given the circumstances, but we should let our performance on the field do the talking. Trash talk is just that. Let's keep working on the 2010 recruits and fixing our own program before calling out our opponents and high schools.
 
#12
#12
Since when did everyone in Florida become so sensitive?
 
#14
#14
Don't get me wrong, I like CLK. I thought we had a great nsd before Jackson. But, sounds to me like he got a little cocky with room full of people who were gonna leave and run their mouths. Its a rookie mistake.
 
#15
#15
I'm with Freak. Does this mean Meyer and this high school coach will have to go on The View and Oprah to tell their side of the story?
 
#16
#16
I never thought that the coach down there would get pissed about the comments. I didn't even think he was directing it at that school. Its true. Most kids in that area would love to go to FL. Thats facts. They need to get off of CLK and watch themselves for bad mouthing a kid from their area that didn't go to the precious gators. (not his HS coach)
 
#18
#18
Kiffin has now become part of a special league of coaches, players and fans. He needs to sit down with someone who has been there and done that and find out that we don't do things like they do in Calif in the SEC or in Tennessee....Suprise people with wins and excellent recruits and you won't have to say a word.
 
#19
#19
Kiffin shouldnt have said that. He needs to go down their & talk to the coach. This high school puts out alot of talent & we need the best relationship with the school & the football coach as we can get.
 
#21
#21
I think what he did was correct. He has to deal with obstructionist foibles he should call them out. This is about serving his recruits and helping them enter the world at large at the school of their choice. If there are parochial demons that are hard set on interfering he does a service by calling them out.
 
#22
#22
If Lane is going to make these type comments, he better have proof to back it up, bottom line. Last thing he needs to do is piss of the coach of the HS program that just delivered one of our top signees. If he isn't careful he will find himself and the staff banned from this HS like Spurrier and SC is from the HS in GA. I would expect CLK will be placing a call to Blaze Thompson in short order to clarify what he meant and smooth things over.
 
#24
#24
bburger991 said:
GAINESVILLE -- Florida wasn't the only school Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin took a shot at on Thursday. The Vols' coach also called into question the people at Pahokee Middle/High School.

While addressing a crowd of about 1,000 people at the Knoxville Convention Center, Kiffin said that receiving a faxed National Letter of Intent from Pahokee receiver Nu'Keese Richrdson on Wednesday was made difficult by the staff at Pahokee. Kiffin inferred that Pahokee High wanted to somehow prevent Richardson from signing with UT.

"You can't understand how hard this is to get done," Kiffin said. "[UT assistant coach] Eddie [Gran] had this set up at 7 o'clock in the morning. [Richardson's aunts] got the papers signed by the kid. They didn't go do it at the school because they knew somebody at the school was going to screw it up. The fax machine wouldn't work, or they would have changed the signatures, all the things that go on in Pahokee now. The aunts took it over to a junior high, found a fax machine that worked and faxed them over to us at 7 o'clock, and I kept it in a drawer till their 1 o'clock press conference."

Pahokee coach Blaze Thompson said on Thursday he was "confused" by Kiffin's comments. For starters, there isn't a junior high in Pahokee. Pahokee High School and Pahokee Middle are the same school. Thompson said that Kiffin must have been talking about Pahokee Elementary, where Richardson's aunt works.

Thompson said that he has been friends with the Richardson family for 20 years and also said, "I wouldn't think they would say something like that about me."

Thompson was troubled by Kiffin's apparent fear that Pahokee had the intentions to somehow sabotage Richardson's attempt to fax his National Letter of Intent to Tennessee.



"I'm just confused," Thompson said. "I don't know where he would get we screw up faxes or change signatures. No player here has ever been coerced by me or anyone else at the school to go to one school or the other. Pahokee is certainly not a Florida school. [UF cornerback] Janoris [Jenkins] was our first to go there in a long time. We would have been proud for [Richardson] to go to Florida but we're just

as proud he went to Tennessee, although with these statements, I'm confused why [Kiffin] would bash a school he would get a commitment from."



Thompson said he looks forward to speaking with Kiffin and "hearing what this is all about."



"We have to deal with Tennessee and we're going to maintain a professional relationship with them," Thompson said. "They've got a great kid and a great player. We've never had anyone at Tennessee and we're excited about it. This is really sad that Coach Kiffin would make these kinds of statements.



"You put your heart into working with kids and any time your professionalism or your character is questioned it takes you back and makes you concerned."

Gator Clause
Click to expand...


This was not just a staff worry. It's obvious that Richardson's family was worried about something happening. Why else would they have taken it on themselves to fax it from another school if they have such a good relationship with Pahokee's coach? I doubt that it was a worry over refusing to send it or trying to change sigs, but I can definitely see that they wanted to avoid any possible pressure put on Nu'Keese or the family. This whole thing is strange and there is something we're not being told. It sound's like the Richardson family was uncomfortable and there has to be a reason why.
 
#25
#25
I would bet dollars to doughnuts that what Kiffin said was 100% correct. My bet is that a lot of HS coaches down there try to block other schools from their kids, probably at the request of UF. Sort of like Alabama telling kids not to visit UT. Recruiting is a dirty business.

If you listen to the tape about Urban and the phone call, Kiffin never said it was a rule violation. He said that a coach was not suppossed to contact a kid during an official visit, which is ethically correct. What kind of low life calls a kid while the kid is trying to visit another school? That was 100% correct as well.
 
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