Amid the brouhaha over Lane Kiffin’s controversial decision to leave Ole Miss and take the head coaching job at LSU, many have questioned the fate of his beloved yellow lab, Juice.
When Kiffin, 50, left Ole Miss for the Tigers on Sunday, November 30, fans noticed that Juice was not on the plane with him. And as anyone familiar with the college football rumor mill could attest, a seemingly minor story could fly out of control in a heartbeat.
Message boards lit up with speculation that Juice never belonged to Kiffin or that Juice has not lived with the head coach in years. One fan even photoshopped a picture of Juice being left on the airport tarmac.
The dog himself (or his handler, unless Juice is somehow literate) took to X on Thursday, December 4 to clear up any confusion.
“Can’t wait to get down to Baton Rouge with my dad, brother, and sister!” his account posted alongside a photo of a Tiger, LSU’s mascot.
As for the rumors, nothing has been confirmed, but NFL agent and Ole Miss alum Aaron Brynildson tried to clear up any confusion.
“Here’s the truth on @JuiceKiffin: yes, he’s Lane’s dog,” he wrote via X. “Lane got him from @wildrosekennels. Juice is essentially a high energy hunting dog that needs constant attention. Lane doesn’t have the time, so the breeder became Juice’s handler and babysitter. Juice would spend several nights a week at Lane’s or at the kennels.”
As rumors have swirled about Juice’s fate, the LSU coach has weighed in on the matter.
Kiffin quoted a post via X from the account SEC Shorts, which included a video that parodied the relationship between Kiffin and his dog. In the skit, an actor playing an unnamed LSU football coach, meant to be Kiffin, is reckoning with a sudden drop in popularity. He then uses a fictional app called PR Paws that matches him with a dog to gain favor with the public.
Kiffin added a pair of laughing emojis to his post.
While Kiffin helped elevate the Ole Miss football program to new heights during his six-year run in Oxford, Juice became the team’s unofficial mascot. He appeared at games with Kiffin, frequently popped up on the Rebels’ social media pages and even did meet-and-greets with fans.
So it should be no surprise that fans noticed when Kiffin left town without Juice. Angry Ole Miss supporters met him at the airport and booed him as he boarded his plane, and Kiffin said during his introductory press conference at LSU that one fan even tried to run him off the road.
“It was really hard. I’m human,” he said. “Even though you understand it’s the passion [of the fans], you’re with your son and you’re driving and you got to call a cop that you know so they’ll help you because you… got to turn around and people are screaming at you, trying to run you off the road.”
Kiffin added, “That airport scene and all the things being said, I understand it. It’s the passion. But they’re saying that about you…you thought you did a really good job for six years for them. That affects you. Even on the plane down here, I’m kinda, like, ‘Man we made this discussion but, God.’”
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