Brian Kelly caught in a Donald Trump-like conundrum

Brian Kelly is denying he said something that he was caught on audio as having said before LSU’s Week 1 game. The situation feels very Donald Trump-like.

LSU Football head coach Brian Kelly has caught much heat for saying that this team would “go beat the heck out of Florida State” in the days leading up to their Week 1 kickoff game.

Nevertheless, the exact opposite occurred in that Florida State beat the heck out of LSU. As such, Kelly left the field with an egg on his face after his bold comment turned out to be a massive farce.
However, Brian Kelly now claims that he didn’t say that his team would beat up on the Seminoles.

On Tuesday, Kelly told the media that the comments in question were “not something that [he’d] ever say.” The Tigers’ coach went on to explain himself in greater detail.

"“Never have I been cavalier or disrespectful to an opponent in my 33 years. So, if somebody wants to prop up a comment like that and inflate it into something that it is not, that’s what social media is about today. But I have nothing but the utmost respect for (Florida State) coach (Mike) Norvell. I know who the opponent was. It’s just not in my background or nature to make those kinds of comments.”"

The only issue with Brian Kelly’s denial is the audio evidence that has been kicked around more times on social media than a stupid Danny Kannell Tweet.

I think that Brian Kelly got caught up in the moment during a tangent in front of LSU Football fans. As such, he made a statement that got a rise out of the crowd but was stupid and apparently forgotten. Well, only forgotten by Kelly.

Donald Trump did just that during his presidency on numerous occasions. Trump would go off-script and make ridiculous (often disrespectful) remarks to rile up his fans. Such statements are recorded, passed around to the public, and scrutinized until we get bored and move on to the next headline that ruins our week.

In Kelly’s defense, I don’t think he remembers making the “beat the heck out of Florida State” comment. He was caught up in the moment and thinking out loud. The comment looks bad considering how the game turned out, but this situation is far from the more extreme public guarantees of victory we’ve experienced in our lifetime.

Heck, U.S. politicians make names for themselves with bold promises that never materialize during their tenure in office. Indeed, Trump’s Mexico-funded wall was never constructed before his four years in the White House had come and gone.

Regardless, what concerns me is how badly Kelly’s team performed against a Seminoles team that was just as sloppy in the first half as the Tigers.

I shared the LSU coach’s opinion that LSU would beat FSU handily. Thus, I remain appalled that we were so wrong.