Brian Kelly set for $54M payout after suing LSU over contract buyout dispute resolution process

A chaotic crook successful the already disfigured Brian Kelly-LSU divorcement had a blessed ending for the erstwhile Tigers coach.

Kelly volition person the remainder of the $54 cardinal owed to him aft a suit filed by Kelly claimed the schoolhouse attempted to debar paying up.

The manager filed a suit against LSU, claiming the schoolhouse was attempting to debar its buyout aft allegedly telling Kelly's representatives it had not officially terminated him and was alternatively looking to occurrence him for cause.

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Head Coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers gestures during a crippled against the USC Trojans astatine Allegiant Stadium connected Sept. 1, 2024, successful Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Gus Stark/LSU/Getty Images)

Kelly, though, received a missive from the schoolhouse connected Wednesday stating helium had officially been terminated without origin and is owed "liquidated damages arsenic required" nether his contract.

LSU spelled retired successful the missive that Kelly has a ineligible work to marque "good-faith, tenable and sustained efforts" to get different occupation successful shot portion helium is inactive being paid by LSU.

When formally announcing Kelly's departure, then–athletic manager Scott Woodward said, "We had precocious hopes that helium would pb america to aggregate SEC and nationalist championships during his clip successful Baton Rouge. Ultimately, the occurrence astatine the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize, and I made the determination to marque a alteration aft past night's game."

Louisiana State University caput manager Brian Kelly during the 4th fourth astatine Memorial Stadium successful Clemson, South Carolina connected Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. (Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Woodward has since near his station aft Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said helium would not let Woodward to prosecute the adjacent coach, claiming helium would alternatively person President Donald Trump marque the decision. 

However, the suit claimed that Kelly's representatives were told by LSU that Kelly was ne'er officially fired due to the fact that Woodward did not adjacent person "the authorization to terminate Coach Kelly and/or marque colony offers to him."

In his comments astir Woodward, Landry besides blamed the erstwhile diversion manager for the $77 cardinal fixed to Jimbo Fisher, whom Woodward hired and whose declaration negotiations helium oversaw erstwhile Fisher was fto spell by Texas A&M.

Kelly's ousting came soon aft Penn State fired James Franklin, arsenic aggregate big-time assemblage opportunities person opened up this season. Franklin has since gone to Virginia Tech, but Kelly has yet to find his adjacent landing spot.

LSU Tigers caput manager Brian Kelly looks connected during warm-ups earlier the crippled against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions astatine Tiger Stadium.  (Stephen Lew/Imagn Images)

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Kelly owns a beingness grounds of 297-109-2, dating backmost to his days coaching Division II schoolhouse Grand Valley State from 1991 done 2003. He spent 12 seasons astatine Notre Dame earlier going to Baton Rouge and besides had stops astatine Central Michigan and Cincinnati.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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