The conversations surrounding Lane Kiffin and his impending decision to either stay at Ole Miss or leave for greener pastures with LSU or Florida have reached a fever pitch.

And that was before Stephen A. Smith and Paul Finebaum started yelling about it on Wednesday on First Take.

Finebaum was on with Smith and Chris Russo to discuss the Lane Kiffin Sweepstakes and the extent of, if any, loyalty the head coach owes to Ole Miss through this process.

Finebaum argued that Kiffin was creating a distraction by having his family visit Baton Rouge and Gainesville during Ole Miss’s celebrated season, which is likely to conclude in the College Football Playoff. The SEC Network host felt that the situation was disrespectful to Kiffin’s current employer, players, and fanbase.

That’s when Smith broke kayfabe and brought up Finebaum’s real-life situation to make a point.

Stephen A. Smith broke kayfabe and called out Paul Finebaum over his Lane Kiffin admonishment.

“I recall you saying that you absolutely love working at ESPN… but you sat up there on the airwaves and said… If the opportunity presents itself, I might be a Senator.” pic.twitter.com/h7oUQvZCQD

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 26, 2025

“Wait a minute. Paul, Paul… I recall, I’m sorry to bring this up, but I just think it’s necessary to bring up,” Smith chimed in. “I can say and most people can’t say this because they don’t venture into the lanes that I venture into and that you might venture into.

“I recall you saying that you absolutely love working at ESPN. You love being the ‘Mouth of the South,’ you love the Paul Finebaum Show, you love being on Get Up, you love being on First Take. You do a marvelous job. You’re a very invaluable asset to this company. We love you, Paul. But you sat up there on the airwaves and said, ‘Hey man, if the opportunity presents itself, I might be a senator. Yeah, I don’t know.’”

Smith was referencing Finebaum’s recent claim that he is openly considering leaving ESPN to run for senator in Alabama. The implication being that, like Kiffin, he is doing his due diligence about a future opportunity while still working for his current employer.

The two things might not be identical, but Smith’s point is noted. We hold people who work in sports to odd standards that we would never place on ourselves or “regular” people. The stakes are also higher for someone like Kiffin, whose whims will determine where millions of dollars are spent and how dozens of college football players continue their careers and education.

Still, Smith sees what Kiffin is doing as only fair under the circumstances we’d all ask for ourselves.

“What I’m saying to you is, hey, last time I checked, two things can be true,” Smith added. “You can absolutely, positively love where you are, but you can explore a potentially better opportunity. I don’t consider that a crime. This is America. This is America.

“You’ve got LSU, you’ve got Florida. Those are better opportunities, potentially, than Ole Miss. There’s nothing wrong with him entertaining it and seeing what they have to offer.”