There’s no separation of college football and state in Louisiana right now.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry factored into coach Brian Kelly’s firing, according to Yahoo Sports.
Landry reportedly has “significant influence” over the school’s Board of Supervisors and hosted a meeting at his mansion Sunday prior to Kelly’s dismissal, which includes a $54 million buyout.
“It’s the most Louisiana thing ever that the governor is directly involved in a decision over a football coach,” one LSU influencer told Yahoo.
LSU hired Kelly from Notre Dame and hoped he would ensure the school’s place among the nation’s elite, but he underachieved despite having a plethora of talent and resources.
Each of his first three teams finished the year ranked below their preseason place, and this year’s team is unranked after opening the year at No. 3.
Moving on from a coach is a top-level decision involving plenty of prominent figures and in this case, top-level members included the state’s top-ranking official.
Landry, elected last year, has more power than usual at LSU since the school does not having a permanent president, per Yahoo.
The Board of Supervisors reportedly is LSU’s highest-ranking group of decision-makers and has 14 members, six of which Landry has appointed, and it will decide the next president.
That leaves Landry and the Board of Supervisors as the shot-callers for the state school, and he made his feelings on the state of LSU football quite clear Saturday night after a 49-25 home loss to Texas A&M.
“I think @LSUsports and the LSU Board of Supervisors needs to rethink their actions to raise ticket prices for next year after tonight’s showing!” Landry tweeted after the game.
Sunday featured Zoom calls and a meeting at Landry’s 250,000-square-foot mansion to discuss firing Kelly and, notably, the hefty buyout the school would owe.
Ultimately, they decided for a change.
LSU athletics director Scott Woodward said in the school’s release that “I made the decision” with “ongoing consultations and support of the LSU Board of Supervisors and Interim President Matt Lee.”
It certainly seems the board offered more than support in this case, although Woodward “appears” likely to make the call on the next coach, per Yahoo.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
