Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken walked back earlier remarks suggesting that LSU's Lane Kiffin called him about Dae'Quan Wright, the latest twist in a bizarre transfer portal saga involving the former NFL tight end. Kiffin publicly denied the conversation happened, saying Monday there were "inaccuracies" in Monken's story and that he does not have his number or know him personally. Monken initially claimed last week that Kiffin reached out regarding Wright's availability and possible return to college football.
Now, Monken agrees that no such call took place, clearing up a claim that quickly generated headlines across the sport. "First off, I should not ... one of our staff had said, that's why I said 'us' and not 'me' ... one of our staff had said they had gotten a text," Monken said. "I should've followed through with it.
Maybe they meant someone from (LSU's) staff. Should not throw someone's name on there without following through on it. "I was just making light of it.
I was really not trying to make a big thing of it. I was just like, 'man, what this world has come to.' It was almost silliness and goofiness. It's really not a big deal other than I probably shouldn't have (said that) without following through." Monken, who has worked at LSU previously (2005-06) and most recently served as Kirby Smart's offensive coordinator at Georgia, before joining the Baltimore Ravens and Browns.
"I've never had to deal with (this)," Monken said. "It happens in college with everybody. They catch word of something.
You have players on your own team, 'I'm catching word from so and so that they're thinking about entering the portal.' It's word of mouth. They're not going to come to you. It was a weird situation.
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