The messy divorce between Brian Kelly and LSU just got a whole lot messier. Less than three weeks after getting fired, the former Tigers coach has filed a lawsuit claiming the university is trying to weasel out of paying his massive $54 million buyout. What was supposed to be a straightforward performance-based firing has turned into a legal battle that could drag on for months and embarrass everyone involved.

Why Brian Kelly Is Suing LSU: The Core Dispute

Brian Kelly wants his money, all $54 million of it. And he’s taking LSU to court to make sure he gets it. The 64-year-old former coach filed a 48-page lawsuit in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court on November 10. This was just hours after what his attorneys describe as a shocking phone call from LSU representatives. 

According to the legal filing, LSU dropped a bombshell. They claim Kelly was never “formally terminated” back on October 26 when everyone thought he’d been fired. And now they’re arguing there are grounds to dismiss him “for cause.”

That distinction matters enormously because firing a coach for cause means LSU wouldn’t have to pay the nearly $54 million buyout that Kelly’s contract guarantees him through 2031. Kelly’s lawyers are seeking what’s called a declaratory judgment. They are asking the court to confirm that his termination was performance-related and without cause, which would entitle him to receive every penny of that massive buyout. 

The lawsuit states plainly that “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.”

LSU’s Response to Brian Kelly Lawsuit: No Formal Termination Claim

Here’s where things get messy. LSU is now arguing that former athletic director Scott Woodward didn’t actually have the authority to fire Kelly or negotiate settlement offers back in late October. This means, according to their new position, the termination was never official. 

The lawsuit reveals that during Monday’s call, “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.”

Kelly’s legal team pushed back hard on three specific points LSU raised. First was about the bizarre claim that Kelly somehow hadn’t been terminated despite widespread public acknowledgment. Secondly, the assertion that Woodward lacked authority despite him being the sitting AD at the time, with other LSU athletics officials present in the room. And thirdly, this sudden emergence of supposed “for cause” grounds that LSU never mentioned until two weeks after the fact.

Timeline of Brian Kelly LSU Controversy: From Hiring to Lawsuit

The Brian Kelly era at LSU started with tremendous fanfare in November 2021 when he left Notre Dame for a 10-year, $95 million contract in Baton Rouge. LSU viewed Kelly as a home-run hire who could restore the Tigers to championship contention after Ed Orgeron’s departure. But the results never matched the expectations. Kelly went 10-4 in his debut 2022 season. Then came the regression. Each subsequent season saw the Tigers post a worse record, finishing 34-14 overall and 19-10 in SEC play across four years without a single College Football Playoff appearance.

The breaking point arrived on October 25, 2025, when LSU lost 49-25 at home to Texas A&M, getting outscored 35-7 in the second half to drop to 5-3 overall. The very next day, October 26, Woodward met with Kelly and informed him he was being relieved of his duties, with Woodward stating publicly that “the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize.”

Four days later, Governor Landry held that infamous press conference where he blasted Woodward and declared, “we are not doing that again” regarding massive coaching buyouts. Woodward was pushed out shortly after. LSU then offered Kelly settlement proposals of $25 million and later $30 million, both rejected. Then came the November 10 phone call that triggered the lawsuit.​

Brian Kelly LSU Buyout Controversy Impact: Reactions and Future Stakes

The $54 million question hanging over LSU is whether they can successfully argue for a “for cause” termination when they’ve spent the past two weeks publicly saying the firing was performance-related. 

Kelly’s contract specifies that “for cause” grounds include material NCAA violations, felony convictions involving gambling, drugs, or alcohol, or “serious misconduct” constituting “moral turpitude.” The lawsuit doesn’t specify what LSU is alleging Kelly did wrong, and LSU declined to comment when reached by ESPN. Kelly’s buyout alone represents more than a quarter of the combined $185 million in buyouts for the 11 coaches fired across college football in 2025. Meanwhile, Ausberry has assembled a coaching search committee.

The financial and reputational implications of this legal battle extend far beyond just the money. It impacts LSU’s ability to attract top coaching candidates who are watching how the university handles contract disputes. It also raises questions about institutional stability at a program that had three different coaches win national championships between 2003 and 2019.​