Overview
- Kelly filed a petition on Nov. 11 in East Baton Rouge Parish seeking a declaratory judgment that his Oct. 26 dismissal was without cause and that he is owed roughly $54 million in liquidated damages.
- According to the suit, LSU told Kelly’s lawyers on Nov. 10 that he had not been formally terminated and for the first time asserted it believed grounds for a for-cause termination existed, though none were detailed publicly.
- The filing says LSU now contends former athletic director Scott Woodward lacked authority to fire Kelly or make settlement offers, despite the school’s Oct. 26 announcement framing the move as performance-related.
- Kelly previously rejected lump-sum settlement proposals of $25 million and $30 million; his contract calls for buyout payments through 2031 subject to mitigation and offset by future earnings.
- A Nov. 5 demand letter from Kelly’s attorneys set a Nov. 10 deadline for written confirmation of the full buyout, and the parties’ failure to reach agreement has moved the dispute into litigation.