Brian Kelly, Tigers ‘at odds’ over terms of buyout

The LSU Tigers and Brian Kelly remain locked in a financial standoff over his buyout. The fired coach’s attorneys are demanding the full $54 million payout and threatening legal action. LSU previously offered smaller settlements, but those talks collapsed after the departure of former athletic director Scott Woodward.

After being let go on October 26, Kelly’s legal team sent a firm letter to school officials demanding answers. They want LSU to put in writing that the university will pay Kelly everything his contract promised. The deadline they set was 5 p.m. on November 10.

Kelly’s lawyers made it clear what would happen if LSU didn’t respond. “Absent this written confirmation by that date, Coach Kelly will pursue all available legal remedies,” the letter warned, as per Wilson Alexander of The Advocate. That means lawsuits could be coming if both sides can’t find common ground.

The money involved is staggering. Kelly signed a 10-year, nearly $100 million contract when LSU hired him from Notre Dame. When the Tigers fired him without stating a specific reason, his contract triggered a buyout worth roughly $54 million. That money would come in monthly checks of approximately $740,000, extending through 2031.

What settlement offers has LSU made to Brian Kelly?

LSU has attempted to negotiate a more affordable way out. During Kelly’s firing meeting, then-athletic director Scott Woodward proposed a lump-sum deal of $25 million instead. Later that same day, Executive Deputy AD Julie Cromer bumped the offer to $30 million, paid over two installments. Both proposals would have eliminated clauses that reduce Kelly’s pay if he lands another coaching job. Kelly turned down both offers.

Kelly did show some flexibility in an October 26 email to LSU administrators. “I’m open to your desire to reach a settlement of what’s owed to me under the contract, although of course it would have to make sense financially,” he wrote. However, it is clear that LSU’s proposals have not yet met his financial requirements.

Things got messier when Woodward left LSU on October 30. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had publicly criticized the expensive contracts, calling Kelly’s buyout a “liability” for taxpayers. Without a signed termination document, LSU continues making monthly payments to Kelly while both sides figure out their next move.

If Kelly gets his full buyout, it would become the second-largest in college football history behind Jimbo Fisher’s $77 million from Texas A&M.