Brian Kelly lawsuit: Prominent attorney reacts, admonishes LSU 'termination for cause' claim

The standoff between Brian Kelly and LSU has taken a sharp legal turn. It’s one that could set the stage for one of the most consequential contract disputes in recent college football memory. 

According to legal filings obtained by ESPN, LSU is attempting to classify Kelly’s recent firing as a “termination for cause,” a move that, if successful, would allow the university to avoid paying the former head coach his full $54 million buyout.

Kelly’s camp quickly responded with a lawsuit, seeking a declaratory judgment confirming that his termination was without cause, thus entitling him to the full liquidated damages outlined in his contract. The 48-page complaint, filed in Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, outlines the timeline of events following Kelly’s removal on Oct. 26, just one day after LSU’s 49-25 loss to Texas A&M dropped the Tigers to 5-3.

The filing claims LSU representatives informed Kelly’s team “for the very first time” that the university believed grounds existed for termination for cause, despite previously confirming both publicly and privately that his firing was performance-related. Kelly’s attorneys argue that LSU failed to follow procedural steps required by his contract, which mandated written notice of any “for cause” firing within seven days, followed by an opportunity for Kelly to respond within another seven. Neither action occurred, according to the suit.

Kelly’s attorneys also contested three key assertions from LSU’s position: that Kelly had not been officially terminated, that then–athletic director Scott Woodward was “not acting with authority” during internal discussions, and that any legitimate grounds existed for firing Kelly under the “for cause” definition. His contract specifies such grounds as NCAA rule violations, criminal convictions, or acts of “moral turpitude,” none of which have been alleged.

While LSU reportedly floated settlement offers of $25 million and later $30 million to Kelly’s representatives, no agreement was reached before the school pivoted to its current legal stance.

Veteran attorney Tom Mars, who has represented multiple high-profile college coaches in employment disputes, sharply criticized LSU’s approach; “No school has ever won a ‘termination for cause’ lawsuit — even when they could allege grounds with a straight face,” Mars said via X (formerly Twitter). “Thus, it seems unlikely that LSU could set a new precedent when everyone in college sports is laughing at them for taking a position that’s absolutely absurd.”

Kelly’s lawsuit now sets the stage for a bitter and closely watched legal battle. It feels like one that could reshape how major college programs handle multimillion-dollar coaching contracts, no matter how it turns out.

— On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this article.