Lane Kiffin strikes again, this time with some help from ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” he clearly did not need.

During the segment first televised Sunday, Kiffin is shown meeting and talking with a recruit. At the end of the segment, ESPN’s Bob Ley, host of the show, brought the possible violation to light.

“Now, Kiffin’s arrival has brought several secondary NCAA violations,” Ley said. “It is entirely possible that you just saw another one. Remember the scene where Lane Kiffin is speaking with a recruit?

“Well, in the infamously thick NCAA rulebook, Rule 13.0.1, (it states) media members cannot observe recruiting contact by coaches. Tennessee tells Outside the Lines it is reviewing this matter. The NCAA is reserving comment until the story airs, so we look forward to hearing from them today (Sunday).”

Not sure what ESPN was thinking here, but that’s no less than six recruiting violations since Kiffin was hired Dec. 1. Six! Fear not, though, for Athletic Director Mike Hamilton said recently the number isn’t any more than the school usually reports.

Phew!

And while we’re quite entertained, the folks down in Tennessee are not and seem to be bothered, annoyed and inconvenienced by the continued … arrogance? Carelessness? Silliness? No! Cluelessness!

This – if it rises to the level of a secondary violation and it’s hard to see how it won’t – would be Kiffin’s sixth. But this one brings with it a bigger question: Is Kiffin clueless? Or is his cavalier attitude toward NCAA rules evidence of something deeper, darker, and ultimately destructive to the University of Tennessee?

I find it hard to believe that Kiffin wouldn’t know what an absolute no-no it is to publicize recruits.

You know who doesn’t find it hard to believe? The Oakland Raiders.

When the report aired, it included a scathing assessment of Kiffin from the Raiders:

“Lane Kiffin is a flat-out liar. He lied to the team, he lied to the fans, and he lied to the media. He will try to destroy that university like he tried to destroy the Raiders, and will eventually clash with (women’s basketball coach Pat) Summitt and (men’s basketball coach Bruce) Pearl.”