The Cleveland Browns found themselves at the center of college football drama as recently waived undrafted tight end Dae'Quan Wright is reportedly set to join LSU.
Browns coach Todd Monken made headlines over the weekend when he claimed Lane Kiffin had called him to discuss Wright
, but joked that he hadn't answered. Kiffin fired back Monday, asserting he never called Monken. He said he does not know Monken or even have his phone number.While the truth remains up in the air, Monken seemed to walk back his initial comments while speaking to the media on Tuesday.
"One of our staff had said that they had gotten a text. I should've followed through with it," Monken said. "Maybe they meant someone from their staff. That's on me, should not throw someone's
name out there without following through with it. I was just making light of it. I was really not trying to make a big thing of it. It was just like, man, what (is) this world we've come to?
"It's really not a big deal, other than I probably shouldn't have without knowing for sure."
Todd Monken clarified his side of the story about Lane Kiffin calling him about Dae'Quan Wright https://t.co/JUU8DuFV2c pic.twitter.com/gSjdjI17sr
— 𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚛 𝙶𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 (@Spencito_) August 25, 2026
Kiffin and LSU have found themselves in the SEC's crosshairs with their attempts to add Wright and fellow Ole Miss transfer Zxavian Harris, who — in addition to having signed NFL contracts — could count as intraconference transfers, which aren't allowed outside the designated January transfer portal window.
However, he seems to be vindicated after strongly denying that he called Monken to discuss a player who was already on an NFL roster.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Todd Monken walks back claim that he ignored call from Lane Kiffin
