A new book on former Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin claims Nick Saban grew concerned enough about Kiffin’s behavior at Tuscaloosa bars that he told staff to intervene.
The account comes from CBS Sports reporter John Talty’s upcoming book, “Lane Being Lane: The Story of Lane Kiffin, College Football’s Agent of Chaos,” set for release September 15. Vanity Fair first reported details from the book.
According to Talty, Kiffin moved to Tuscaloosa in 2014 to become Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach without his wife, Layla, and their children, who remained in California. The couple divorced during Kiffin’s final year on Saban’s staff, which ran through 2016.
Talty writes that Kiffin became a regular presence at local bars during that stretch. “Layla and the kids never made the move to Tuscaloosa, leaving Kiffin to go off the rails, frequenting Tuscaloosa-area bars,” the book states. On at least one occasion, an Alabama staffer had to retrieve a golf cart Kiffin had left overnight at Innisfree Irish Pub.
Innisfree co-owner Derick Purdy reportedly called the athletic program more than once to say Kiffin was at the bar “asking where the hotties are” and pressing staff to introduce him to women. Another source told Talty that people around Kiffin worried he might “drink himself to death.”
Talty writes that word of Kiffin’s off-field conduct eventually reached Saban’s desk, in part through his wife, Terry, who had heard from friends that Kiffin was out pursuing women while living apart from his family. That prompted Saban to give a staff member specific instructions to pass along.
“You’ve got to keep Lane away from the girls that are in college,” Saban reportedly said. “Just keep him away from the sorority girls. Make sure they’ve graduated college or are working a job.”
Talty’s book also suggests the reputation Kiffin built during those years followed him. Multiple unnamed Alabama sources told Talty that Kiffin’s conduct in Tuscaloosa ruled him out as a potential successor when Saban stepped down as head coach in 2023, saying he had “upset too many important people” and that the stories were too widely known to overlook.
