The fallout from Brian Kelly’s messy exit at the LSU football team is now playing out in court and on the field. After the Tigers’ ugly 49-25 loss to Texas A&M, LSU moved on from Kelly, prompting the former head coach to file a lawsuit claiming he was fired without cause and is owed his full $54 million buyout.
LSU, per On3’s Pete Nakos, insists it never “formally terminated” him and is exploring a for-cause justification while the Board of Supervisors meets behind closed doors to weigh its next move.
Against that backdrop, Kelly’s son delivered a very public show of support on Senior Day. During LSU’s football team game against Western Kentucky, Kenzel Kelly, a current Tigers player, ran out for the ceremony wearing his No. 50 and a huge grin.
As the broadcast focused on him, he tugged at his undershirt to reveal “BK” printed on the front, a clear nod to his father. The clip, shared and described by On3, quickly made the rounds online.
Kenzel didn’t stop with the T-shirt. Looking into the camera on the sideline, he shouted, “Go Tigers! Long live BK. Free my boy. Free my boy, BK. You know who.”
In a moment that felt painfully on-brand for LSU’s turbulent 2025 season, the broadcast cut back to the field just in time to see the Tigers cough up the football, leading to a Western Kentucky scoop-and-score that tightened the game to 13-10 late.
It was part tribute, part protest, and it instantly raised questions about how LSU’s administration would view such a pointed message coming from one of its own players while the school is locked in a legal fight with his father.
Kelly’s lawyers, meanwhile, maintain that LSU has already tried to negotiate the buyout down, alleging the school floated $25 million and later $30 million settlement offers, according to Nakos’ reporting for On3.
The higher figure reportedly would have been paid in two installments and removed the duty-to-mitigate clause, a clear indication LSU wants to limit its long-term exposure if it can label the firing something less than a clean “without cause” dismissal.
Until that dispute is resolved, every gesture will be interpreted through a legal lens. On Saturday, Kenzel Kelly made it clear where he stands, turning LSU’s Senior Day into the latest visible reminder that the Brian Kelly saga is far from over in Baton Rouge.
