College GameDay's Rece Davis Reacts to LSU's 'Ugly' Process of Firing Brian Kelly

Davis weighed in on the messy legal battle brewing in Baton Rouge, Kelly suing the university amid buyout situation.

Rece Davis prepares to broadcast from the field on the ESPN College Gameday set prior to the NCAA football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brian Kelly's legal team filed suit on Monday to recoup his $54 million buyout after being fired by the LSU Tigers on Oct. 26 amid a 5-3 start to the 2025 season.

LSU has taken the position that the university never "formally terminated" Kelly and will now attempt to fire him "for cause," according to ESPN.

According to ESPN's report on Monday night, Kelly’s attorneys were made aware of LSU's stance where the university is looking to avoid paying the entirety of Kelly's $54 million buyout.

Following the decision to fire the program's decision-maker, it was reported that Kelly turned down settlement offers of $25 million and $30 million. Kelly's suit also states the settlement offers.

According to a copy of Kelly's lawsuit against LSU that was obtained by ESPN, “LSU's representatives had a call with Coach Kelly's representatives, where LSU took the position that Coach Kelly had not been formally terminated and informed Coach Kelly's representatives, for the very first time, that LSU believed grounds for termination for cause existed."

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Now, ESPN College GameDay's Rece Davis has weighed in on the legal battle alongside ESPN insider Pete Thamel,

Rece Davis Weighs In:

“I just don’t think this is the way to go about this. Because this is one of those things you want to go away. Once you make the decision (to fire Kelly), make it go away,” Davis said on Wednesday’s episode of the College GameDay Podcast.

“Instead, … you think he’s just going to walk away and leave this money on the table without fighting back? You know him. I just think that this is one of those things that you need to make go away. Pay him his money, come to an agreement, do something and move on. … Do you really want this to be that ugly?”

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

ESPN Insider Pete Thamel's Take:

“In the long history of schools trying to weasel out of contracts they signed – and that’s what this is, it’s a straight weaseling. They didn’t give the seven-day notice … if you read the legal document, you laugh because you’re like ‘Wow.’ If they wanted to fire him for cause, they messed it up in every possible way,” Thamel said.

“They’ve acknowledged it all. It’s like when you’re playing on the playground in junior high, they tried to do a take-back, a do-over. A do-over firing. … Everyone who has tried to do this legally has genuinely failed. …

"And my understanding is this is all politically-motivated, … so there’s been a pretty resounding chorus of laughter towards the governor’s mansion and the Board people trying to be cute and do this. It will not work and they’ll eventually realize that.”

More LSU News:

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Five Players LSU Football Must Keep After Brian Kelly's Firing, Including DJ Pickett

ESPN Insider Labels Lane Kiffin 'Top Target' for LSU Football, Florida Gators

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