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Brian Kelly‘s ongoing dispute with the LSU Tigers over his buyout after getting fired is turning ugly, and now the Tigers may be trying to come for the whole thing.
LSU fired Kelly in late October following a loss to the Texas A&M Aggies, and the presumption at the time would be that they would have to pay him a more-than $53 million buyout as part of the salary remaining on his contract.
Further reporting suggested that Kelly could accept some sort of settlement agreement. However, not only is that not the case, but Kelly is now going to court to ensure that he receives every cent of the nearly $54 million he believes he’s entitled to.
There’s just one big problem.
LSU has now turned the tables and is attempting to pay Kelly far, far less. Perhaps even nothing at all.
LSU Is Claiming That It Fired Brian Kelly ‘For Cause’
When coaches get fired, they typically receive a buyout because they were terminated from a contract that they signed without cause. Simply being bad at coaching football games is not, legally speaking, considered “for cause.”
But LSU is taking a different stance, according to ESPN’s Dan Wetzel.
Kelly’s attorneys recently submitted a legal filing against LSU’s board of supervisors. In the filing, his attorneys say LSU has taken the position that it has not “formally terminated” the coach as the program’s football coach.
That’s because LSU is now trying to fire Kelly “for cause,” which would drastically lower the buyout number owed to him and, if somehow proven, potentially take that number to $0.
Wetzel reports that Kelly’s lawyers are seeking “a declaratory judgment confirming that LSU’s termination of Coach Kelly is without cause and that Coach Kelly is entitled to receive the full liquidated damages provided for in (his contract).”
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has even gotten involved in the proceedings. Landry called the situation a $53M liability and was involved in the ousting of LSU athletic director Scott Woodward.
Woodward, who hired and fired Kelly, stepped down just four days after the move.