Ole Miss, Mississippi State football coaches among those lobbying legislature to change state flag

Mississippi coaches came together to lobby Mississippi legislators to change the flag.

College coaches and athletic directors are lobbying to get the Mississippi state flag changed.

From Ole Miss football to Mississippi State football, anyone who is anyone in Mississippi collegiate athletics made the trek to the state capital of Jackson, lobbying for the state to change its flag. Lane Kiffin, Mike Leach, Kermit Davis, Ben Howland, Mike Bianco, John Cohen and Keith Carter were there telling Mississippi to do something it should have been done a long time ago.

We removed the flag from our campus five years ago, so we’ve made it clear that it doesn’t represent who we are at Ole Miss,” said Kiffin to ESPN. “Today is another big step in doing our part to move the state forward and ensure a more welcoming environment for everyone. This is extremely important to me and to our players. Time to change!”

“The purpose of a state flag is to create pride and enthusiasm amongst the citizens,” said Leach to ESPN. “It should also create great energy to elevate the economy, education and athletics. The current flag doesn’t do that. We need a state flag that everyone is proud of.”

Mississippi universities lobbied at the capital to get the flag changed.

Patrick Magee, who covers the Southern Miss Golden Eagles for the Biloxi Sun Herald, tweeted out a list of every coach, athletic director and administrator present at the state capital, hoping Mississippi will change its flag and no longer be on the wrong side of history.

Seeing how seriously Mississippi State University is taking this, star running back for the Bulldogs Kylin Hill quote tweeted the Mississippi State Athletic’s official account with, “This Put smile on my face.” Hill declared he would not associate with the university if the flag was not changed ahead of his senior season in Starkville. He is a First-Team All-SEC performer for the Bulldogs.

No matter what team you root for in the Egg Bowl, it’s abundantly clear that the time is now for a change in the Magnolia State when it comes to the state flag. 2020 is Leach and Kiffin’s first year at their respective programs. While they had fun with their masks at the state capital, changing the state flag is a serious matter and one Mississippi shouldn’t need to be convinced on.

United in a fight against racism, Mississippi universities want a flat that actually represents them.

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