Lane Kiffin---Apologies Abound

After the tough triple overtime loss to the Stanford Cardinal, USC Head Coach Lane Kiffin blistered the Pac-12 officiating crew for not giving him 1 second on the clock at the end of regulation to kick a 50 yard field goal.  The controversial coach accused one official of lying and basically costing the Trojans the game.  Kiffin has a track record of making inappropriate comments that require apologetic back-pedaling.  Leaders need to realize that everyone makes mistakes and there may be a need to admit to a bad decision.  Once or twice over a long period of time will probably be accepted by most constituents, but continuous gaffs diminishes credibility.  Leaders build equity in themselves by making good decisions, yet that equity can rapidly erode through series of bad decisions or inappropriate actions.  After attacking both Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer and Oakland Raiders President Al Davis (Davis referred to Kiffen as a "flat out liar") on numerous issues and bolting from the University of Tennessee after 14 months, many folks were questioning if Kiffin was the guy you would want to lead a program.  With this most recent outburst, fines from the Pac 12 and Kiffin's limited apology, the question becomes, "Is Kiffin a positive to the USC brand?"  Additionally the players now are taking cues from the coach and making some over the top statements to the media.  Quarterback Matt Barkley accused Arizona State's Vontaze Burflict of being a dirty player and quickly was rebuffed by Pac-12 for inappropriate behavior.  The very next week Barley opined  that Notre Dame quit in their game against USC.  As a leader,  remember that your followers model their behavior after the leader.  When the leader acts a certain way, do not expect the followers to act any other way.  There is no credibility to reprimanding a follower for a behavior that duplicates the actions of the leader.