Brian Kelly lawsuit says LSU wants to fire him 'for cause,' hasn't officially fired him
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BATON ROUGE — Brian Kelly’s attorneys believe LSU is taking the position that it has not “formally terminated” him as LSU football head coach and allege it’s trying to find a way to back out of paying him his full buyout.
According to an ESPN report, the lawsuit was filed in the East Baton Rouge 19th Judicial District Court on Monday by Kelly’s representatives. The petition states LSU seeks to fire Kelly “for cause.” Such a move would absolve the university from having to pay Kelly the $54 million he is owed according to the contract the two parties agreed to when he was hired in December 2021.
“LSU’s representatives had a call with Coach Kelly’s representatives where LSU took the position that Coach Kelly had not been formally terminated and informed Coach Kelly’s representatives, for the very first time, that LSU believed grounds for termination for cause existed,” according to the suit.
BRIAN KELLY’S FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTS SINCE BEING FIRED
Kelly’s attorneys are seeking a “declaratory judgment (from the court) confirming that LSU’s termination of Coach Kelly is without cause and that Coach Kelly is entitled to receive the full liquidated damages provided for in (his contract).”
On Oct. 26, Kelly was fired by then LSU athletics director Scott Woodward and in a news release, as well as The Daily Advertiser confirming through sources, the school and Kelly were in active conversations negotiating his buyout settlement.
Monday’s lawsuit states LSU told Kelly’s representatives Woodward did not have “the authority to terminate Coach Kelly and/or make settlement offers to him,” which would mean that Kelly was never officially fired as LSU’s football coach.
“LSU has never claimed that Coach Kelly was terminated for cause and, prior to November 10, 2025, never asserted that he engaged in any conduct that would warrant such a termination,” the legal filing says.
“To the contrary, LSU repeatedly confirmed, both publicly and to Coach Kelly, that the termination was due to the Team’s performance, not for cause.”
When reached by The Daily Advertiser on Tuesday morning, an LSU spokesperson declined comment on the legal filing at this time.
Multiple e-mails between LSU officials and Kelly in the days following his firing contained offers for a buyout settlement, one for $25 million then a second for $30 million. Kelly and his representatives never accepted those offers. According to the Kelly’s lawsuit, he was told the $30 million settlement would come in two installments and included the elimination of mitigation and offset provisions.
Kelly’s representatives, via the court documents, disagree with a number of points the LSU representative told them in the call Monday.
“Coach Kelly’s representatives informed LSU that Coach Kelly disagreed with each of LSU’s new positions, including (i) the idea that he somehow had not been terminated, (ii) that the then-Athletics Director Woodward was not acting with authority (in a meeting attended by several LSU athletics officials, including the current Athletics Director [Verge] Ausberry), and (iii) that there were any grounds for termination with cause (or that LSU could manufacture any such grounds after his termination), thus necessitating this action.”
Legally, if LSU fired Kelly “for cause” then it would have to inform Kelly of that within a seven-day period and Kelly would have seven days to respond to those claims. Kelly’s representatives say in the documents that never happened.
Like all LSU coaching contracts, Kelly’s deal contains a “for-cause” clause that allows the school to fire a coach for cause over “moral turpitude” or misconduct that displays a “continual, serious disrespect for the mission of LSU, being convicted of a felony or any crimes involving gambling, drugs or alcohol and substantial NCAA rule violations.”
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Brian Kelly files lawsuit against LSU after school fired him
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