LSU ended its weekslong squabble with former head coach Brian Kelly on Wednesday night.
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the school sent Kelly a letter officially informing him it has fired him without cause and will pay him the $54 million remaining on his contract. New LSU president Wade Rousse said in the letter that Kelly is expected to make “good-faith, reasonable, and sustained efforts to obtain qualifying employment for as long as liquidated damages are due.”
Kelly was dismissed by the school on Oct. 26 after an embarrassing home loss to Texas A&M. But posturing by the school, and intervention by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, left some uncertainty as to whether LSU intended to pay Kelly his full buyout.
As a result, Kelly filed suit against the school. In a letter, his attorneys reportedly claimed the school had made it “nearly impossible” for Kelly to find another job while the school tried to publicly claim it had not “formally” fired him.
Some finality on the former LSU head coach comes just days before expected clarity on the next LSU head coach.
A decision from Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on his future is expected following Friday night’s Egg Bowl game against Mississippi State. Kiffin is reportedly the primary target of the LSU coaching search.
The Tigers are reportedly preparing to offer a pay package worth close to $100 million.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
