BATON ROUGE — Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly is suing the university, alleging it and the school's Board of Supervisors are seeking to fire him "for cause" and prevent the four-year coach from walking away with $54 million.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE LAWSUIT

The lawsuit, filed in the 19th Judicial District at Baton Rouge, says Kelly was told Oct. 26 that he was being fired for his team's performance. His final game at LSU was an embarrassing home loss against Texas A&M. Kelly and his lawyers say that LSU claimed on Monday that other grounds for his termination exist. 

If fired for cause, LSU would not have to pay Kelly his full buyout, which consists of 90% of his remaining salary and supplemental compensation to be paid through 2031. 

The lawsuit does not specify the exact reason LSU has claimed for firing Kelly. 

Kelly rejected multiple settlements that would have paid him lump sums of $25 million and $30 million, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit seeks a "declaratory judgment confirming that LSU’s termination of Coach Kelly is without cause and that Coach Kelly is entitled to receive the full liquidated damages." 

"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," the lawsuit says. "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."

Kelly's contract has a clause in it that says that, if he were fired for cause, the university would have to give prior written notice and a statement on the grounds of the firing within seven days. This was not done, the lawsuit alleges. 

Under Kelly's deal with LSU, the school could fire Kelly for cause due to various behavioral issues, including NCAA rule violations, crimes or "serious misconduct" that "constitutes moral turpitude." The lawsuit says Kelly "never engaged in any such conduct."

In the week following Kelly's firing, LSU also removed offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and athletic director Scott Woodward from their positions.

Kelly's lawsuit was being looked at by the state attorney general and LSU, according to the AG's office. "We have no further comment on pending litigation," spokesman Lester Duhe said.