USC coach Kiffin surprised by Titans lawsuit about hiring of assistant coach

USC coach Lane Kiffin surprised by Titans suit

NEW YORK — Southern California coach Lane Kiffin says he was surprised by the lawsuit filed against him and USC by the Tennessee Titans after he hired away one of the NFL team’s assistant coaches.

Kiffin hired Kennedy Pola on Saturday to be offensive coordinator and running backs coach for the Trojans.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher said he was upset by the fact that Kiffin didn’t contact him before reaching out to Pola.

On Monday, Tennessee Football Inc., the company that owns the Titans, filed a suit accusing Kiffin and USC of violating Pola’s contract.

Kiffin, in New York on Tuesday for a Pac-10 media event, says Pola’s hiring “was done no differently than any we did at SC or Tennessee. I didn’t anticipate this. No one would have.”