The former Ole Miss football player who secretly recorded a fiery conversation with Rebels head football coach Lane Kiffin had his bid to revive his lawsuit against Kiffin and the school denied by a federal appeals court.
DeSanto Rollins appealed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals after U.S. District Court Judge Michael P. Mills dismissed the civil case in February, saying that while Kiffin’s treatment of Rollins was “offensive and imprudent,” it did not amount to illegal discrimination.
In a decision Thursday, a three-judge panel stated it found “no error in the district court’s determination that Rollins has failed to carry his burden” to overturn the case’s dismissal.
Rollins included a transcript of his contentious March 2023 meeting with Kiffin in his original complaint filed last September, audio of which was later obtained by Front Office Sports. Rollins sought $40 million in damages over allegations Kiffin “ignored” indications Rollins had depression and his treatment toward Rollins was “grossly reckless and indifferent.”
Rollins alleged in the lawsuit that an assistant coach urged him to transfer in late 2022. Rollins, who dealt with injuries, chose to remain at Ole Miss, and the complaint stated Rollins told Kiffin he was going to “take a mental health break because of the verbal abuse from Kiffin and the mental anxiety, depression, and worthlessness he was feeling” that was exacerbated by the death of his grandmother.
“You have a f***ing head coach,” Kiffin said in the conversation recorded by Rollins. “This is a job. Guess what? If I have mental issues—and I’m not diminishing them—I can’t not see my f***ing boss, when you were told again and again the head coach needs to see you.”
Rollins, a defensive lineman, was on the Ole Miss roster last season, although he didn’t play. He’s currently a grad student at Ole Miss.
Messages left with Rollins’s lawyer as well as lawyers representing Kiffin and Ole Miss were not immediately returned.
