Former LSU football coach Brian Kelly received a letter from the university Wednesday confirming that he was fired without cause and is owed “liquidated damages as required” under his contract of nearly $54 million.
The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, clears the way for Kelly to withdraw a Nov. 10 lawsuit against the Southeastern Conference school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Kelly said in the suit that LSU officials had suggested he could be fired for cause, which could have substantially reduced his buyout.
LSU spells out in Wednesday’s letter that Kelly has a legal obligation to make “good-faith, reasonable and sustained efforts” to get another job in football while he is still being paid by the program.
Under Kelly’s contract, any salary from a new football-related job would offset what he is owed by LSU. The 10-year contract, worth close to $100 million, runs through 2031, unless the two sides agree to a settlement severing their legal relationship before then.
Kelly’s lawsuit, filed in civil district court in Baton Rouge, alleged that LSU representatives had told his attorneys that the coach was never “formally terminated” the day after the Tigers’ 49-25 home loss to No. 3 Texas A&M on Oct. 25.