Sunday evening’s matchup between the Florida State Seminoles and LSU Tigers in New Orleans provided a wild amount of entertainment for both die-hard and more casual college football observers. The game featured an utterly ludicrous finish, with Florida State fumbling the ball near the goal line, LSU completing a 99-yard drive to score on the last play of the game, only to miss a game-tying extra point attempt to lose in epic fashion. Following the game, much was made of a prominent win for Florida State, but perhaps more attention was paid to LSU’s defeat in head coach Brian Kelly’s debut on the sideline.
That leads to yet another bizarre moment in Kelly’s early tenure, which occurred during a press conference on Tuesday. Kelly prodded a member of the media for arriving late to the press conference, and that member of the media corps pushed back with a quip about how she would perhaps be more likely be on time if LSU won.
"Maybe if you win I'll be on time"
: @Jaythealbum pic.twitter.com/vorCmgSNvI
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 7, 2022
The reporter was later identified as Leah Vann of The Advocate, who later let Kelly off the hook to some degree by sharing that she apologized and he was “super chill” in response.
Press conference was at noon, I was running from a doctor’s appointment. Got there at 11:57. Brian Kelly called me out, said jokingly I owed him $10, I said if he won maybe I’d be on time. Not my finest hour. I apologized afterward, he was super chill and said I still owe him $10 https://t.co/6zsp6k9PuL
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) September 6, 2022
I know Brian Kelly likes to joke. He clearly took it as one from our conversation afterward. All in good fun, fam.
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) September 6, 2022
He said he needs $10 so he can afford his new jackets and I said he has $90 mil for that and he said that’s a smoke screen and I said that’s fair and I liked his new jacket and he thanked me. If y’all want all the details.
— Leah Vann (@LVann_Sports) September 6, 2022
Even in the moment, Kelly did not blow up after Vann’s comment and, to put it candidly, it would not be difficult to form a list of college football coaches who might have been more prickly in the face of that remark from a reporter. At the same time, it’s another weird moment surrounding Kelly, who famously used a bizarre southern accent after being hired in Baton Rouge, and the questions about his cultural fit with LSU likely won’t be dying down any time soon.
Source: https://uproxx.com/sports/brian-kelly-lsu-reporter-video-press-conference-florida-state-loss/
