LSU Still Battling Brian Kelly Over $53 Million Buyout, And Tigers Better Increase The Offer
It is very obvious that the LSU firing of Brian Kelly and the fallout afterwards has not been handled well.
It's been just over two weeks since LSU fired Brian Kelly, and the school is still trying to figure out a way to reach a settlement with the former head coach over the massive buyout owed to him.
The contention over a $53 million contract has officials at LSU looking to knock that figure down by at least half, but representatives of Brian Kelly are not in the Christmas spirit that some around Baton Rouge thought would come with the separation between all parties involved.
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As OutKick reported at the time, athletic administrators, along with LSU lawyers, were hoping to reach a settlement with Kelly, which would create an opportunity for the former head coach to not deal with ‘mitigating’ factors that were agreed upon when the contract was signed.
This meant that Brian Kelly would have to find other opportunities for work, or at least make it look like he was on the job hunt. This would lead to however much LSU owed him being decreased because of his future earnings at his new place of employment.
According to documents obtained by ‘The Advocate’ reporter Wilson Alexander, legal reps of Brian Kelly have informed LSU via letter that the school has until Nov. 10th at 5 p.m. to inform them whether the school is prepared to pay him 'full liquidated damages', which is today.
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When the former LSU coach met with school officials on October 26th, there was a settlement discussed, but the school tried to get Brian Kelly to agree to a $25 million payment. This would have meant that ‘mitigation’ terms would go away in the process, and Kelly could just take the lump-sum monetary deal and walk away.
The problem is that the figure offered, along with a $30 million counter, is still way off from what Kelly's representatives feel is a fair deal.
Did LSU Really Have A Plan Before Firing Brian Kelly?
According to sources, LSU is going to need a better offer for Brian Kelly to take a negotiated buyout. If that means both sides will meet in a courtroom down the road, or at least at mediation, Brian Kelly is prepared for that outcome.
This is what happens when a school agrees to a contract that has the second-highest buyout in college football history, just behind Jimbo Fisher's $76 million currently being paid to him by Texas A&M.
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Now, after firing Brian Kelly, and subsequently, athletic director Scott Woodward days later, LSU is hoping to avoid a courtroom.
This whole ordeal is further proof of how badly this administration handled the entire situation, especially with that political theater press conference by Governor Jeff Landry.
At least the school finally figured out the difference between ‘Interim’ and ‘Acting’ athletic director, when they promoted Verge Ausberry into the permanent role.
Let's see who the Tigers start hunting to be their next head coach, as they deal with the financial fallout from firing Brian Kelly and Scott Woodward.