The LSU Tigers and Brian Kelly are now bringing their fight over settlement money to the legal world as the coach has filed a lawsuit, seeking the full buyout. The school, however, is changing course and seeking to fire him for cause.
When the LSU Tigers decided to fire Brian Kelly after the loss to the Texas A&M Aggies, I'm not sure that even they understood the circus that was about to follow.
It has been a journey that has consistently left the rest of the country with their mouth agape at just how chaotic the past few weeks have been for the school's athletics.
A new chapter has been added as of Monday, when ESPN's Dan Wetzel broke the news that Brian Kelly had filed a lawsuit in a battle over the buyout of Kelly's contract nearing $54 million.
On3's Pete Nakos revealed the entire lawsuit and the situation does not seem to be one that is going to be resolved anytime soon.
The lawsuit reveals that Kelly's representatives had a phone call with Tigers officials on Monday, wherein the school stated that they never actually let Kelly go. Then-Athletic Director Scott Woodward apparently never had the authority to fire Kelly and/or make him settlement offers.
The school is now stating that they are looking to terminate Kelly's employment with cause. If they are successfully able to prove that case, they would not have to pay that buyout.
The lawsuit also alleges this is the first time that this had been brought up to the coach's lawyers:
"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. To the contrary, LSU repeatedly confirmed, both publicly and to Coach Kelly, that the termination was due to the Team's performance, not for cause."
The team performing poorly is not an actual cause for a firing. Firing someone for cause is stated in the lawsuit as being due to "serious misconduct."
If the Tigers do have cause to fire Kelly, it would be something that is not yet officially known, though the rumor mill has been swirling fast ever since the firing happened.
Kelly's lawyers also assert that their client had not done anything to be fired for cause.
"LSU also had no basis to terminate Coach Kelly for cause. The Agreement defines cause to include conduct like violating certain LSU rules, pleading guilty to a felony, committing fraud or engaging in other "serious misconduct."
This is just the beginning of what is sure to be to a long road ahead as two parties fight over the $54 million payout.
Whether the schools ends up paying the money or not, there could be lasting effects from this mess as their potential next coach is watching the dysfunction play out in front of their eyes.
While being the Tigers' head coach is a job that is widely viewed as one of the best in all of sports, it wouldn't be shocking to see someone pass on the opportunity in an effort to avoid having to go through something like this if they don't end up winning games in a couple of years.
Coaches want stability. Nothing about the LSU job over the last few weeks has shown that.