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Ex-Alabama WR sues Lane Kiffin, says he was duped about spot on FAU staff
A former Alabama receiver believes new Florida Atlantic coach Lane Kiffin used him to get closer to a recruit.
According to a report from SEC Country, Antonio Carter filed a lawsuit vs. Kiffin and the state of Florida. The suit alleges Kiffin made Carter believe he was in line for a job on Kiffin’s staff as an assistant strength and conditioning coach before telling Carter he was disqualified from consideration for the position after offering the recruit who Carter knew a scholarship.
However, after believing he had been hired and the prospect accepted a scholarship with the Owls, Carter was notified by school officials that he didn’t pass the required background check and would not be employed “due to two prior minor misdemeanor criminal charges.”
Carter claims in the lawsuit that he sent documentation showing the resolution of the charges, one of which the prosecutor refused to pursue more than seven years ago, but FAU didn’t respond and numerous other inquiries went unanswered. That included waiting for hours outside of Patrick Chun’s office only to have the FAU athletic director refuse to meet with him.
The suit also alleges Kiffin told Carter his hire was “done” and Carter even went so far as to help FAU on signing day. Yahoo Sports has reached out to Florida Atlantic for comment.
Per USA Today, court records show four arrests for Carter and that he “took pleas in each case and avoided jail time.”
Carter was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia by Tallahassee (Fla.) police in March 2010. He was arrested in November 2010 on a failure to appear on a drug charge. He also had to two arrests for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended or revoked license in 2014, one in May of that year by the Florida Highway Patrol and the other by Florida State University police in November.
Kiffin was hired at FAU following the 2016 regular season. He attempted to balance his duties as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and his new gig as FAU’s coach during the College Football Playoff but Kiffin parted ways with the Tide after Alabama’s CFP semifinal win over Washington.
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Before joining Alabama as the Tide’s offensive coordinator in 2014, Kiffin previously served as USC’s head coach. He was famously fired from USC in 2013 after the Trojans lost to Arizona State.
While the recruit who Carter says he “believed” FAU used his relationship with isn’t mentioned directly in the suit, SEC Country notes it’s easy to figure out the player is D’Anfernee McGriff.
McGriff played at Iowa Western Community College in 2016. He was the No. 16 athlete in the class of 2015 according to Rivals. He signed with Florida Atlantic on National Signing Day.
Carter last played at Alabama in 2001. He had 106 career catches and has previously coached at Appalachian State, Eastern Michigan and Samford among other places.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!