Brian Kelly’s firing from LSU has stirred up a storm of controversy surrounding his coaching tenure with the Tigers. The 2025 season turned into a nightmare as the Tigers suffered a humiliating 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M, with fans chanting “Fire Kelly!” The team lost three of its next four games, shattering its College Football Playoff hopes. Critics say Kelly never got along with the culture of Louisiana or the LSU program’s identity.

Kelly joined LSU as head coach on November 30, 2021, after leaving Notre Dame. His tenure started with winning the SEC West Division title in 2022 and posting consecutive 10-win seasons in 2022 and 2023. However, despite these achievements, he never reached the College Football Playoff. Over his roughly four seasons, Kelly compiled a 34-14 overall record with a 19-10 mark in SEC play.

And if his coaching faults weren’t enough, the history of controversies is giving the news of Kelly’s unemployment even more media fodder.

The Declan Sullivan Death Tragedy at Notre Dame

On October 27, 2010, Declan Sullivan, a passionate junior and student filming the Irish football practice from atop a 40-foot aerial lift, lost his life in a freak accident. The lift collapsed as wind rushing up to 53 miles per hour caused the fatal injury. South Bend knew Declan for his fun-loving nature and imagination. He double-majored in marketing and film, television, and theater, and was an important part of Notre Dame’s media circle. He often quoted American Beauty, saying, “There is nothing worse than being ordinary.”

The tragedy stunned the campus community and left Brian Kelly and his team shaken. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Declan’s family and friends,” Brian Kelly said in a release. “Declan was a diligent student worker in our video department and had a tremendous personality and great sense of humor. He brightened the days for all that had the privilege to work with him, and the Notre Dame football family will dearly miss him.”

Kelly described those days as “very, very difficult” and said he personally knew Declan. After the accident, Kelly gathered his players mid-field to lead them in prayer. Notre Dame and the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) conducted thorough investigational reviews to find out the truth. They discovered critical safety oversights and stated that the lift should not have been operated in the high winds that day.

Brian Kelly and Tommy Moffitt Firing Controversy: Why LSU Fans Were Outraged

Tommy Moffitt was LSU football’s long-standing strength and conditioning guru. He was literally the person who helped build champions over two decades. Under his watch, the Tigers claimed three national championships, and he survived every coaching regime from Nick Saban to Les Miles, and then Ed Orgeron. But then Brian Kelly arrived. And guess what he did? The first big shake-up in the LSU staff was Moffitt’s firing in late 2021. A move that shocked fans and insiders alike.

Moffitt was a Baton Rouge legend and a key figure in crafting LSU’s physical dominance. That’s why Kelly’s decision to cut ties with him enraged a lot of LSU fans. Soon after leaving LSU, Moffitt joined the Aggies as their strength and conditioning coach. And that’s exactly why Texas A&M’s 49-25 win over LSU reflects sweet revenge. The Aggies dominated the second half, outscoring LSU 35-7 and proving they were built tougher.

“Moffitt wanted this game just as bad as anyone else,” said Aggies QB Marcel Reed. “I remember Thursday, he kind of brought in a tackling dummy with Brian Kelly’s face on it. Yeah, this one was an important one to him.” The firing adds another layer to Kelly’s already existing controversy list.

The LSU Introduction Speech and the ‘Fake Southern Accent’ Controversy

When Brian Kelly left Notre Dame for Death Valley, he was bold enough to carry a weird accent with him for his introduction. During halftime at an LSU basketball game, Brian Kelly grabbed the mic and tried to introduce himself to the crowd. But wait, he tried on a Southern accent, famously twisting the word “family” into something like “fay-am-ly.” The internet had a field day with this. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington even made a side-by-side meme video comparing Kelly saying “family” in his usual Northern way at Notre Dame versus the strained Southern version at LSU.

The difference was so stark that even Kelly leaned into the joke. However, later confessed in an ESPN interview that the accent was all in good fun. “I’m from Boston,” he reminded everyone. But the damage was already done. Fans mocked him and some even joked that Kelly’s fake accent was as bad as some famously painful attempts in Hollywood movies.

Kyren Lacy Locker Room Controversy That Put Brian Kelly in the Spotlight

It was LSU’s game against USC, and the Tigers lost 27-20 against the Trojans. Lacy racked up 7 receptions for 94 yards, leading the WR room. But it was his celebration that caught the attention of fans. It happened when Lacy scored his first touchdown of that night. But instead of just pumping his fist or doing a popular dance, Lacy chose a celebration that raised eyebrows: he pretended to shoot the USC defensive back he had just beaten. It wasn’t long before the referees threw the flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. Sure, some fans and even Brian Kelly weren’t thrilled with the call, but the refs weren’t buying it.

The replay later showed that Lacy didn’t stop with that one glimpse of celebration. He repeated the gesture on the bench. That’s when the fun stopped for LSU. Kelly didn’t hide his feelings afterward. He called it “the first time since I’ve been here” that he felt “pretty angry” at his team. But even with all that strictness, Kelly faced a lot of backlash over the type of discipline he was instilling in the LSU locker room.

The Matthew Langlois Medical Retirement Dispute That Raised Questions About Brian Kelly’s Leadership

This one’s a big one for Brian Kelly. This claim dropped like a bombshell on October 27, 2025, just as LSU’s season frustrations were already high with losses to teams like Vanderbilt and Texas A&M. It started with former LSU defensive back Matthew Langlois speaking out publicly, accusing Kelly of forcing him into medical retirement. Langlois, a former 4-star recruit, didn’t hold back on social media. He called Kelly “one of the worst humans” he’s ever encountered. His tweet made headlines. I was FORCED to medically retire before I could get a 2nd or 3rd opinion, Langlois wrote on X.

When I was playing very well before my injury, I’d hear from Coach Kelly quite often. The second I got injured, not a word since. Genuinely one of the worst humans I’ve been around, ever.” This majorly reveals a deeper issue about how Kelly reportedly handled player injuries and communications with the team during tough times. When he was healthy and performing, Kelly’s attention was there, but the moment injury hit, everything changed. The sudden radio silence from Kelly during a vulnerable time left Langlois out in the cold.

All these reasons clearly reflect how LSU’s 3-5 record was just the tip of the iceberg for Brian Kelly’s firing.