The 2025 LSU football season quickly went from one full of promise to one full of disappointment. The nail in the coffin for the season was the 49-25 loss to Texas A&M, and following the loss, Brian Kelly was fired by the Tigers. However, after Kelly was fired, the circus continued with the Louisiana governor getting involved, and now the Tigers are claiming they never fired Kelly in the first place.
According to On3's Pete Nakos, Brian Kelly filed a lawsuit against the LSU athletic department, claiming he was fired and is entitled to his entire $54 million buyout. LSU argues that it did not “formally terminate” Kelly and is resisting paying the full buyout. Kelly filed the lawsuit with the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, and the LSU Board of Supervisors will hold a meeting on Friday to discuss it.
According to the suit, LSU held a call with Kelly on Monday, stating that it believes it has grounds to fire “for cause.” “ESPN” was also the first to report that Kelly had filed a lawsuit against LSU in the first place.
“LSU’s representatives had a call with Coach Kelly’s representatives, where LSU took the position that Coach Kelly had not been formally terminated and informed Coach Kelly’s representatives, for the very first time, that LSU believed grounds for termination for cause existed,” the complaint states.
LSU's athletic director, Scott Woodward, was the one to fire Brian Kelly. Still, Woodward has since been relieved of his duties after Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry publicly tore into Woodward and said that he will not have the opportunity to hire the next head coach.
Kelly’s attorneys are seeking a declaratory judgment to confirm that Kelly was fired without cause and is entitled to “full liquidated damages provided for in (his contract).” If LSU can prove his dismissal “for cause,” then they would not owe any of the buyout.
According to the filing, LSU has attempted to reach a settlement with Kelly on multiple occasions since his firing. That includes offers of $25 million and $30 million. The $30 million payment would have been made in two installments and would have eliminated the duty-to-mitigate clause.
This has only gotten messier and messier, and with the lawsuit and now the Board of Supervisors meeting over it, there is a chance it could get even messier before everything gets sorted out.
