Firing Brian Kelly was going to be costly for LSU. The program has rid itself of him, but it is also finding it difficult to follow through with that process. LSU hit back at Kelly with a lawsuit surrounding his firing, which affects his massive buyout. However, the Tigers might not get away with it.

But after the 25-49 drop to Texas A&M, Kelly was shown the exit. His contract mandated that LSU pay him a massive $54 million buyout if he were fired without cause. Now, LSU has filed a lawsuit claiming that Kelly was never “formally terminated.” And, LSU “believed grounds for termination for cause existed.” This changes things massively for LSU and the coach.

The latter claim is the one that brings more damage to Brian Kelly. If he had cause to be fired, LSU would automatically owe him a lower figure as a buyout. Kelly fired back, refuting all claims made by LSU. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg thought this fight was LSU’s to lose. “For-cause termination is usually difficult to attain, especially after no initial mention other than team performance in announcing Kelly’s firing. Seems like a Hail Mary by LSU,” he wrote. There are a lot of things to unpack here.

Former AD Scott Woodward comes into play here. This might be the loophole that LSU is using to get to the for-cause part. LSU claimed that Woodward didn’t have the “authority to terminate Coach Kelly and/or make settlement offers to him.” This is what the program is using to assert that Kelly was never fired. This is truly a bizarre move from the program. So far, LSU has never openly mentioned Brian Kelly being fired for cause.

Instead, the public statements continue to bear that he was fired because of how LSU performed under him. “Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize,” LSU’s official statement on Kelly’s firing read. It is difficult to find a cause for firing during Kelly’s tenure at LSU, too. He never brought any NCAA sanctions, was convicted of any crime, or acted outrageously enough that put LSU at harm. Yes, there was the odd controversy here and there during Kelly’s 4-ish year-long stay at Baton Rouge, but they weren’t tantamount to an unbearable level.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry mentioned earlier that the massive figure had become a “liability.” The high price was always what made pulling the trigger so difficult for the program. But now that they have done it, they might be finding it difficult to follow through with that amount. Brian Kelly, however, is not one to be messed with.

LSU tried to negotiate with Brian Kelly regarding the buyout

It was revealed earlier that LSU tried to pursue an easy way out of this by sending negotiating offers to Kelly. One email proposed an offer of $25 million, while the other proposed an offer of $30 million. The former had been offered by Woodward, and the latter by executive deputy AD Julie Cromer. But the former LSU coach put his foot down, refusing both offers. Kelly’s lawyers boldly claimed in a letter that if LSU did not confirm its intention of paying the full buyout by November 10, he would pursue legal options.

This has now culminated in the messy drama. Per the original contract, LSU will have to pay Brian Kelly $54 million monthly, running till 2021. And he would’ve been owed the full sum, minus whatever he might be earning from his future employer. All of this shows that LSU is clearly the party that has more to lose and is desperately trying to reduce the blow of this major decision.

Kelly simply couldn’t do what he was supposed to do: take LSU football to newer heights. And for that fault, he has duly walked out of the program. But now, LSU is bringing out bigger and controversial guns. We wonder how these claims will be backed in court.