$1,230,000,000 Worth LSU Adds New Twist In Brian Kelly Saga Refusing To Shell Out Fired HC’s $54M Buyout

The LSU coaching saga has been a very complicated one after Brian Kelly got fired, from the Louisiana governor getting himself involved to a myriad of names popping up to take the vacant job. The story has now entered a new chapter, as a legal battle might ensue after a legal filing from the fired coach’s attorneys.

ESPN has reported that Brian Kelly’s attorneys have submitted legal filings on Monday, suing the school and stating that LSU had told the former coach that he has not been “formally terminated” yet and are now trying to fire him “for cause” so they would not have to fully pay his massive buyout worth approximately $54 million.

In a legal filing Monday, Brian Kelly’s attorneys say LSU has taken the position that it has not “formally terminated” Kelly as the Tigers’ football coach and is now seeking to fire him “for cause” and potentially avoid paying his full $54 million buyout. https://t.co/Sw0WShDX2t

— ESPN (@espn) November 11, 2025

Kelly wants his former employers to pay the full $54 million buyout as was stated in his contract, with the lawsuit alleging that the coach was told that he “had not been formally terminated” and that the school “believed grounds for termination for cause existed.”

The suit also questioned if the now-fired LSU AD Scott Woodward had the authority to even fire Kelly and make settlement offers. Woodward was fired just days after Kelly was let go. Both sides are now gearing up for what may be a contentious and drawn-out legal battle.

Can LSU Pay Brian Kelly’s $54 Million Buyout?

With a protracted legal battle possibly happening between Brian Kelly and LSU, the question now is, can the school actually afford to pay him his $54 million buyout? According to The Athletic, LSU has one of the most valuable college football programs out there, valued at $1.23 billion.

While it is worth a lot, its average football revenue is just around $102.9 million. While the school will be losing a lot of money in his buyout, the answer is yes, theoretically, the school could afford to pay him. While they would not have to pay all that money in a lump sum immediately, they could pay him incrementally.

The school had two settlement offers with Kelly before the suit was filed, with the reported amount being $25 million for the first one and then $30 million for the second one. Both would have been lump sum payments which were below his $54 million buyout.

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