Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin Sued For Copyright Infringement Over Social Media Post

Ole Miss Rebels coach Lane Kiffin is currently being sued for previous tweets regarding a book titled "Winning Isn't Normal."

Jul 15, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin speaking at Omni Dallas Hotel. Mandatory Credit: Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

According to multiple reports, a lawsuit has been filed against Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin over his previous social media activity.

The news was first reported by The Clarion Ledger and later confirmed by On3's Pete Nakos.

According to court documents obtained by The Clarion Ledger, Kiffin is being sued by Dr. Keith Bell, a Texas-based swimming psychologist who published a book titled "Winning Isn't Normal." Per the lawsuit, Bell owns the copyright to the title of the book, to which Kiffin used in a tweet dating back to 2016.

The lawsuit states that Kiffin retweeted a passage of the book, to which Bell served him multiple cease-and-desist letters. Bell reportedly also informed Kiffin that the copying of the "WIN (Winning Isn't Normal) Passage constituted as copyright infringement."

Bell is looking for damages on one count of copyright infringement, though it did not specify how much financial compensation he was looking for in return. Since the cease-and-desist letter was filed, Kiffin has deleted the tweet.

The 2016 incident was one of two tweets Kiffin posted regarding "WIN." In 2022, he posted another tweet, featuring a photo of a seven-paragraph with the headline "WINNING ISN'T NORMAL." Bell mentioned in the lawsuit that nearly an exact copy of a passage from the book.

In 2022, Bell sent a second cease-and-desist letter to Kiffin, stating that the fifth-year Rebels coach failed to comply with the demand. In the lawsuit, Bell stated that Kiffin leaving up the post after the initial tweet was "irrefutable evidence" of infringement.

Like the other post, it also has been deleted from his social media account.

Since being hired by the Rebels in 2020, Kiffin has proven to be one of the top coaches in program history. He currently has compiled a 34-15 overall record in four seasons in charge, including two 10-plus win campaigns since 2021.

The Rebels, a favorite to make the College Football Playoff in 2024, are currently in the middle of the fall camp preparing for the start of the regular season.

Ole Miss opens the regular season at home against FCS Furman on Saturday, Aug. 31.