How much has LSU spent on athletic buyouts over the past decade?

LSU has spent more than $43 million on contract buyouts for its coaches and athletic department leaders over the course of the past decade, Louisiana Illuminator reports.

That total does not include the nearly $54 million that LSU might have to pay former football coach Brian Kelly, who is now suing the LSU Board of Supervisors. In his suit, Kelly argues that the university owes him his full buyout because his Oct. 26 firing was “without cause.”

The aforementioned $43 million figure accounts for the buyouts of two football coaches, one athletic director, one swimming and diving coach and 32 assistant coaches across various sports.

Though some fans are under the impression that the Tiger Athletic Foundation pays for LSU’s buyouts, the reality is that LSU athletics shoulders that burden using both self-generated funds and “associated private funds.” The extent to which private funds have been used to pay for buyouts is unclear.

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