During his weekly press conference on Wednesday, LSU football coach Brian Kelly used his time to take a hilarious shot at Ole Miss contemporary Lane Kiffin.
College football is a money-making monster. And conferences around the country have formed lucrative relationships with some of the biggest brands in the world. The SEC is the largest in the sport and the mega-conference has long had popular soda company Coca-Cola as one of their primary sponsors.
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However, during his press conference on Monday, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin randomly questioned the relevancy of the legendary drink.”You guys have 130 percent of your sugar for your entire day is in this one bottle,” he said during a break between reporter questions.
It was an odd moment and critique in an era where sponsors are unafraid to pull their deals and take their sponsor dollars elsewhere. However, in his own presser this week, LSU Tigers football coach Brian Kelly saw a unique opportunity. Not only to smooth over the ruffled feathers Kiffin may have created but take a subtle shot at the silliness of the Ole Miss coach’s comment.
Brian Kelly record (Career): 186-69
LSU head coach Brian Kelly hilariously praises Coke product
“Just a shout out to our sponsor Coke,” Kelly opened the presser by saying. “Smart Water is a great Coke product. Minerals, vitamins, it’s just great for you, refreshing, healthy, and Coke provides you with all the products that you need. Depending on what you like and I love Smart Water,” he said then took a long sip from his bottle of Smart Water.
It was a perfect flip-side moment from the 21-year veteran of head coaching who knows the massive value of not getting on bad terms with major sponsors. It was also a chance for Kelly to get a laugh in because Kiffin had the last laugh in 2023 when his Ole Miss squad handed Kelly and LSU a surprising 55-49 loss. This should make this year’s game even more interesting.
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