LSU reportedly not playing 'word games' while clarifying Verge Ausberry's role

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LSU reportedly not playing 'word games' while clarifying Verge Ausberry's role

LSU reportedly not playing 'word games' while clarifying Verge Ausberry's role originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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LSU will keep Verge Ausberry as the school’s athletic director. 

Just a day after newly-appointed LSU President Wade Rousse removed Ausberry's interim tag, there was a report by the Louisiana Illuminator putting everything into question and appeared to backtrack.   

"I'll remove the interim [title] and then we'll assess the situation. I can't make a very good decision on the job for eight hours," Rousse said. However, another 12 hours later and there was more clarification from LSU.

“Verge Ausberry is THE athletic director at LSU. Period,” a source within the president’s office told LouisianaSports.net. “There is no intent or desire to play word games with this issue. Athletics needs a stable hand at the helm, and that is Verge Ausberry. Verge is fully empowered to find our next football coach and to run the athletic department.”

The next order of business of the docket for LSU is finding a new head coach, which Ausberry will lead the search to usher in a new era for the Tigers. 

LSU fired Brian Kelly in the middle of his fourth season in Baton Rouge. He went 34-14 and 19-10 in SEC play during his tenure. The final message from Kelly to LSU's admin was leaked on Wednesday. 

“As we discussed in our meeting, 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,” Kelly wrote. “Despite your decision to let me go today, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead this program over the last four years and wish you all the best going forward.”

The 64-year-old coach remains on LSU’s payroll through the end of 2025, collecting monthly payments of roughly $740k from his $10.1 million annual salary. LSU looks to reduce the buyout amount from the 10-year, $95 million contract Kelly signed in 2021 after leaving Notre Dame.

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