LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin used ChatGPT to research legal justification for a controversial roster move this season, according to an ESPN report cited by attorney Tom Mars, a friend of Kiffin’s.
The episode grew out of Kiffin’s attempt to add two former Ole Miss players, Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, to LSU’s roster. Both players had previously signed professional contracts, which set off a dispute between LSU and the Southeastern Conference over whether they could be added. LSU ultimately backed off and did not add either player to the roster.
Mars told ESPN that Kiffin repeatedly used the AI chatbot to push back on his legal opinions during the standoff. “Usually, when I would express an opinion about what LSU was doing, Lane would reply with a screenshot from ChatGPT that supported LSU’s position, which was almost always wrong,” Mars said. “Lane ignored most of my unsolicited advice, but I don’t think he’ll be using ChatGPT anymore for legal advice.”
Mars said he eventually told Kiffin that someone with his level of compensation should rely on a real attorney rather than an AI program. “Eventually, I told him that a guy with a $91 million contract ought to have a top-notch lawyer on speed dial and not be using ChatGPT for legal advice,” Mars said.
The dispute had escalated to the point that the SEC accused LSU of allowing Kiffin to operate without sufficient oversight, and a conference vote on the matter had been expected before LSU dropped the roster addition. Texas A&M coach Mike Elko had likened the conference’s handling of the dispute with LSU to “parenting.”
LSU did not add Wright or Harris to its roster, ending the standoff before it reached a formal conference vote.
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