LSU coach Brian Kelly signed one of the most lucrative contracts in college football history when he was hired to coach the Tigers program ahead of the 2022 season. But thanks to some discarded paperwork discovered by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office, the school accidentally gave Kelly a little extra. Kelly was mistakenly paid more than $1,001,368 in May and June 2022 because of a costly clerical error, according to documents obtained by Reuters. Greater Baton Rouge Business Report,
When Kelly signed a massive 10-year, $95 million contract, he originally arranged for his payments to go directly into his bank account. In May, Kelly reached an employment and license IP agreement with LSU so that payments would be made directly to the LLC in his name. Unfortunately for the school, though, someone forgot to turn off the direct payment.
Eventually, Kelly was paid twice in the months of May and June before LSU noticed the discrepancy in November 2022. Rather than paying Kelly more than $1 million for the program as a lump sum, LSU and Kelly’s LLC have agreed to do less. A payment schedule that will reduce his salary slightly until the amount is recovered by the end of 2023.
While LSU will recover its money over the course of the next year, it is unlikely that many people in Louisiana are too angry with Kelly for the error. The first-year coach led LSU to its first home win over Alabama since 2010 and captured the SEC West title for the first time since Joe Burrow’s national title-winning squad in 2019. 1 spot in the transfer rankings for the 2023 cycle and the 2023 season at large.
