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Former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly had a pretty good first year after taking over the LSU football program in 2022.
The Tigers went from 6-7 in former coach Ed Orgeron’s final year at the helm (two years after going 15-0 and winning it all) to winning the SEC West and a 10-4 record with wins over Ole Miss, Alabama and Purdue.
That kind of turnaround in just one year certainly warrant the accolades Brian Kelly has received. What it did not warrant was LSU paying him an extra $1 million.
On Wednesday, it was reported that a Louisiana Legislative Auditor found that the program actually paid Kelly over $1 million more than was expected because of double payments to Kelly and his LLC.
The school says it will be recouping the extra million dollars it accidentally paid Brian Kelly through an adjusted pay schedule for the 2023 football season.
No big deal then, right?
Not if you are a professor at LSU who has to claw and scrape and defend himself over every dollar he spends on academic endeavors.
Robert Mann, a political historian and professor at LSU, put the school on blast for being so careless in its spending when it comes to the football program.
A former colleague and I have been texting about when we led a study-abroad program & LSU dogged us over every penny of every expense.
There are LSU serfs (faculty and staff) — and there is an untouchable royal family (football coaches). Best of times, worst of times. https://t.co/7V5TJbXY4n
— Robert Mann (@RTMannJr) January 26, 2023
The professor continued, tweeting, “LSU seemed to start from the proposition that we faculty members were looking to steal from the university by misappropriating a few hundred dollars, while on the other side of the campus the accountants were showering the football coach with an extra million. madness.”
In another tweet, Mann wrote, “Also recall when the Legislative Auditor sent someone to my office with a list of stuff I’d purchased with LSU funds. Demanded to see it all to ensure I’d not sold it on eBay, I guess. I had every item, save a book at my house. But the football coach got an extra million. cool.”
Also, there's a reason the Legislative Auditor is involved in this. Once you give money (tuition, fees, TAF donation, purchase of books) to LSU, it becomes state money.
— Robert Mann (@RTMannJr) January 26, 2023
A significant percentage of my salary comes from non-state funding, i.e., endowed chair account. Never once has anyone on this side of the university paid me more out of that account than I deserve.
— Robert Mann (@RTMannJr) January 26, 2023
Professor Mann’s comments, as one might expect, elicited numerous responses.
“And they’re just adjusting his salary going forward, not making him pay it all (plus taxes!) back?” someone else tweeted. “Everyone I’ve heard of who got accidentally overpaid had to pay it back asap, plus taxes their employer had paid.”
one of your programs brings in 100m a year the other doesnt. they adjusted this years payment schedule. its a non issue.
— Tom Broke-ah (@kenPOPtweets) January 26, 2023
“It’s a football team that has a school,” another person tweeted.
So much for the ethics pledge State employees attest to. Of course, maybe he didn’t realize he’d received a million more than his contract. What’s a million here, a million there when you work for a university awash in cash ~ at least when it comes to football?
— NOLAProgress (@nola_dg) January 26, 2023
Hey, it could be worse for LSU and the state of Louisiana. Just take a look at their neighbor to the east, Mississippi.