Shortly after this went down I heard LSU had some dirt on Kelly and tried to get him to take a $20M buyout. Kelly told them to pound sand, which has brought them to this point.
Regardless if that's true they clearly are trying to minimize the buyout they agreed to. Can't say this is a good look for any top level coach considering this position. .

LSU's new school song: "Lil' Bitty Pissant Country Place"

Jarrin Jay said:

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lsu is grasping at straws and is going to owe him the full amount (less any mitigated wages). If I am Kelly I take a D3 or HS job and just cash those lsu checks and laugh at them.

What a clown show. lsu is making themselves look like foolish petulant children, in addition to clowns.

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And it's going to cost them during a coaching search. I had originally dismissed the idea that they would rehire Orgeron but now? He might be the only coach of any value (he can recruit) they can get to sign on the dotted line. Even with all of the baggage Coach O has. Assign him a babysitter to keep him away from the co-eds, give him a driver to avoid any DWIs, if you have to.

Other programs have done that from time to time. Eddie Sutton, for instance. He had a chauffeur for years.

Jesus, LSU continues to surprise.

waco_aggie05 said:

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Yeah, but the **** show and reputation damage (what little LSU even has) is going to send them to the dark ages trying to find a new coach or even players in this NIL era.

Even if they went with somewhat of a no-name "Buckyball" style hire to save money, now that players are getting paid millions, this behavior directly affects their contract negotiations as well.

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Still got Big Ed Orgeron chomping at the bit to return tho

Sapper Redux said:

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What coach with options is going to choose to walk into that school knowing they will demand a national championship by year 4 and then refuse to honor your contract?

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Coach Edward James Orgeron Jr. come on down!



I'm sure he's got his matching folding chair and Magellan Outdoors cooler in purple and gold set up outside the Moran Center just waiting for the call. Like Black Friday at Walmart, you gotta get in line early to have the best chance.

ATL Aggie said:

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This is not a good look for LSU. What coach is going to want that job after the way they are handling this?

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THIS. This is the lasting legacy of the Kelley saga.

They'll find a coach just because of the salary and a shot at a major sec school. Someone with a big enough ego to think they won't get fired.

Absolutely no one does a meltdown like Louisiana.

LSU will need to fire their new HC due to his poor decision making in accepting the LSU job after knowing how LSU is trying to pull this contract BS with former coach Brian Kelly.

LSU is shady AF. There was also a contract dispute with the firing of Les Miles if memory serves me right.

Shady business. Tectards did the same thing Pirate.

BMX Bandit said:

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It's a pretty safe bet that LSU is not going to argue "He abandoned his post."

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But it makes for fun internet fodder

Bill Superman said:

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Lsu is not only going to have to go broke paying him the full amount one way or the other, they are now putting themselves in a bad spotlight that will hinder their coaching search and drops them well behind other HC vacancies.

Couldn't have happened to a better university and fanbase.

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Yep, PR optics is horrible

BK is a horrible person and lsu is a shady school. I hope they are able to make him take much less than his buyout and also they get a reincarnation of DiNardo for their next coach.

That way everyone outside of baton rouge wins.

Jarrin Jay said:

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lsu is grasping at straws and is going to owe him the full amount (less any mitigated wages). If I am Kelly I take a D3 or HS job and just cash those lsu checks and laugh at them.

What a clown show. lsu is making themselves look like foolish petulant children, in addition to clowns.

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He should pull a Charlie Strong who took the job at South Florida and structured the deal where he was only paid $1 million a year for the first two year (which were the last two years on his tu buyout). Texas thought they were going to save on his buyout but was still on the hook for $4.5 million for those two years.

Sooo, is the argument going to be "we were in settlement negotiations in anticipation of firing him?"

More like, "We are not firing you but how much would it take for you to quit?" Yeah, that will play in defense of a declaratory judgment action...not.

Slicer97 said:

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FDT 1999 said:

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Such a poverty program. To all the people who say it's only the state that doesn't have money but LSU has tons, I say BS. LSU is poor as f***.

Pay attention potential coaching candidates.

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A school that steals from children's hospitals doesn't want to honor its contract with a failed coach? I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked.

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Did you hear? There's gambling at Rick's…the Casablanca one that is…

HarryRocket said:

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New Florida gator… lane kiffen

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Actually he is the betting favorite to team back up with Jaxson Dart and be the head coach of the New York Giants now.

God I love what a dumpster fire lsu is choosing to be

Nobody feels sorry for the poor swamp kitties. LSU freely gave that contract to Kelley. Pay the man and move on.

For those who want to get caught up without reading.

Lolpoor State University

aggiehawg said:

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In a legal filing obtained by ESPN, Brian Kelly’s lawyers state that LSU is saying it never “formally terminated” Kelly and are now seeking to fire him “for cause” which could impact his near $54 million buyout.

Kelly is seeking a declaratory judgement that LSU did fire him and…

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 11, 2025

What a s***show! If they don't have the money to pay his buy-out? Is that what is going on here?

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I thought the Raising Caine's dude put up the money for the buyout?

LSU has the money. They are trying to re-trade the contract.

This is not uncommon in various big business deals, commercial real estate being one. Sometimes a re-trade is legit if unknowns are revealed during due diligence, other times it's not legit and the buyers make the highest offer to be the first to paper up the deal with the intent of re-trading it with some pretend issue from day one.

Re-trading has a price, though....people are less likely or refuse to do business with you if over time you get the reputation of the latter.