There was quite a bit of Twitter consternation from some in the media when it was reported Monday that Lane Kiffin -- he of the 12 total wins as a head coach at the collegiate/NFL level -- was pulling down somewhere in the rather exclusive neighborhood of $4 million annually as USC’s head coach.
That figure, reported on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel series that will air Tuesday night, is in line with the Urban Meyers-Mack Browns-Jim Tressels of the college football world. Coaches who have, ya know, actually accomplished something in the game.
As USC is a private school, though, the salaries of their coaches are not available to the public, so any figure attached to Kiffin’s salary is likely a guesstimate at best.
And, in this case, according to at least one report, it’s absolutely wrong.
On his ESPN.com blog, Bruce Feldman writes that the reports of Kiffin making $4 million -- and his father Monte making around $2 million as an assistant -- are not accurate. In fact, a source told Feldman that neither Kiffin is making anything close to that.
So, if you were pissed off over the total amount of money Kiffin was making given his lack of any real success at any level, you can feel free to be a little less pissed off this afternoon if Feldman’s source is correct.
At least, as far as that aspect of Kiffin is concerned.