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3 hours ago
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The LSU Tigers athletic department is choosing to remove Brian Kelly as the head football coach, but he’ll continue to receive his $740,185 monthly compensation as the two sides hammer down a deal on their buyout extension.
With Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry involved, there’s sure to be full transparency about how the eventual deal is reached. It will surely be legally compliant and not at all shady. Like all backdoor government deals.
Sarcasm aside, On3’s Peter Nakos revealed that the agreement won’t be reached for weeks, or even months. And it’ll cost $100 million all-in for Kelly’s buyout, his staff members’ buyouts, and the next coaching staff.
“If LSU has fired Brian Kelly following an embarrassing home loss Saturday night to Texas A&M, sources told On3, the Tigers are on the hook to pay out their former head coach more than $53 million. The exact buyout remains unclear as specifics continue to be worked out, sources tell On3,” Nakos wrote.
“The contract includes a duty to mitigate clause, meaning Kelly would be required to search for a new job if he were fired. LSU would only have to pay the difference in salary between the buyout and his salary. Sources have told On3 that buying out Kelly’s current contract and his staff and hiring a new staff would likely cost north of $100 million.”
Kelly is now almost certain to find another job and not collect checks from LSU. And either way, he will accept a much lower figure than his $54 million buyout figure.
The damage is done, though. The Tigers regressed for four straight years under Kelly and spent more money than most.
It was one of the costliest tenures the sport has ever witnessed.
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