How ChatGPT and Lane Kiffin could have gotten LSU kicked out of the SEC
How ChatGPT and Lane Kiffin could have gotten LSU kicked out of the SEC. Skip to main content Skip to navigation How ChatGPT and Lane Kiffin could have gotten LSU kicked out of the SECLSU Tigers3hMark SchlabachDC Belichick resigns as UNC investigation finds disregard for conductNorth Carolina Tar Heels34mDavid HaleLSU QB Leavitt unexpectedly listed as doubtful for Ole Miss rivalry gameLSU Tigers13hAlex ScarboroughFBS oversight committee can't overturn WMU loss despite improper protocolsWestern Michigan Broncos14hJake TrotterUSC standout freshman WR Mosley out vs.
What happened
Oklahoma State Cowboys2dBill Connelly'Probably should've won by 25': Inside Oklahoma State's upset of OregonOklahoma State Cowboys3dMax OlsonplayFinebaum: Pressure is all on Lane Kiffin in LSU-Ole Miss showdown (1:42)Mark SchlabachSep 17, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseSenior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of GeorgiaFollow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBATON ROUGE, La. — As LSU and the SEC found themselves locked in an unprecedented game of legal chicken over coach Lane Kiffin's plan to roster two former NFL players this season, Kiffin routinely reached out to his friend, attorney Tom Mars, for legal advice.
"Usually, when I would express an opinion about what LSU was doing, Lane would reply with a screenshot from ChatGPT that supported LSU's position, which was almost always wrong," Mars said. "Lane ignored most of my unsolicited advice, but I don't think he'll be using ChatGPT anymore for legal advice. If Kiffin hadn't backed down, LSU might have been punished severely, perhaps even kicked out of the league, if the SEC prevailed in federal court or a state appeals court.
"Take, for instance, Kiffin's reaction to excerpts of John Talty's book, "Lane Being Lane: The Story of Lane Kiffin, College Football's Agent of Chaos," that were released Sept. "One thing no one has ever said about Lane Kiffin is that he can't coach," said political consultant and author James Carville, an LSU alumnus. Oklahoma State Cowboys2dBill Connelly'Probably should've won by 25': Inside Oklahoma State's upset of OregonOklahoma State Cowboys3dMax OlsonplayFinebaum: Pressure is all on Lane Kiffin in LSU-Ole Miss showdown (1:42)David HaleSep 17, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseCollege football reporter.
The wider picture
And, of course, no one does breakups as badly as Lane Kiffin. This game has been hyped since the moment Kiffin boarded that plane bound for Baton Rouge, and that's often a recipe for disappointment. When Mars urged Kiffin to back down, the LSU coach texted him screenshots of legal opinions from an unlikely source. "Eventually, I told him that a guy with a $91 million contract ought to have a top-notch lawyer on speed dial and not be using ChatGPT for legal advice," Mars said.
The fact that Kiffin, a polarizing head coach who seems to pitch a tent and build a campfire in the gray area of the NCAA rulebook, was at the center of the dispute made it even more dramatic. The drama goes from the courtroom to the football field Saturday night when Kiffin returns to Ole Miss, the school he left for LSU as the Rebels were preparing for last year's College Football Playoff, in one of the most anticipated games of the season (7:30 p. m. , ABC).
"One reason I like Lane so much is that neither of us are risk averse, and we're both willing to take chances others might not take," Mars said. Borrowing a line from 'Star Trek,' you might say Lane is willing to go where no man has gone before.
What has been reported
"Mars has never represented Kiffin in a legal case. ""I think his IQ is probably off the charts, and head coaches have told me that Lane is a savant on game day with the ability to see things during games that no one else sees," Mars said. "That said, I think most people would agree that Sunday through Friday is what makes Lane both interesting and newsworthy. An excerpt in Vanity Fair detailed the alleged off-field behavior that led former Alabama coach Nick Saban to fire Kiffin as the team's offensive coordinator a week before the Crimson Tide played Clemson in the CFP National Championship in January 2017.
"I can save you $33 and lots of reading time by summing up the book this way," Kiffin wrote to Mars in a text message, which was shared with ESPN. "Old unnamed sources say Lane used to argue with Saban, drink alcohol and hang out with hot women. New unnamed sources say Lane gets along with Saban, doesn't drink alcohol, but still hangs out with hot women. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to replace Kiffin, and Golding guided the Rebels to their first two CFP wins before falling to Miami 31-27 in the CFP semifinals.
What happens next
Kiffin's return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the showdown between his No. "Kiffin didn't help matters this spring when he told Vanity Fair that some Black recruits wouldn't sign with Ole Miss because of the school's history of racial segregation. Kiffin said he doesn't have those problems at LSU. Trying to add Wright and Harris to his LSU roster was another instance in which Kiffin seemed to be trying to throw salt into Ole Miss' wounds.
"I don't worry too much about that [being a villain]," Kiffin said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Aug. "During the legal tug-of-war with the SEC, however, Kiffin seemed to be viewed as a villain to everyone outside of Louisiana for attempting to cross a line that had never been traversed before — bringing back players after they'd signed NFL contracts. The SEC's legal team included Jason Williams, a former Tulane football player and the current district attorney of Orleans Parish.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across espn.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.