Louisiana Supreme Court Orders Ed Orgeron To Pay Ex-Wife $8 Million Of His LSU Buyout Money

Whenever a school hires a new coach, there's excitement around the program. How will they help the team reach new heights? What kind of success can they bring? Will the team's play style shift? An undefeated season ending in a national championship is the ultimate prize—and LSU got that in 2019 with Ed Orgeron at the helm.

The Tigers had hired Orgeron as a defensive line coach in January 2015, and he took over as interim head coach in September 2016. He became the full-time coach the following year, guiding the Tigers to a 9-4 record in 2017 and a 10-3 finish and a Fiesta Bowl win in 2018. In 2019, LSU finished off a perfect 15-0 year as the Tigers won the College Football Playoff.

But, as often happens in football, things can turn quickly. The Tigers finished the COVID-19-shortened season with a pedestrian 5-5 record. When the 2021 season began in a similar slog, LSU fired Orgeron after a 3-3 start. The program finished 6-7; its first losing season since 1999 (not counting vacated records from 2012-15 due to an ineligible player on the team). Brian Kelly took over head coaching duties for LSU.

As part of his firing, Orgeron received a buyout of $16.9 million, which was 70% of his remaining salary. And now, a Louisiana Supreme Court judge ruled Orgeron owes his ex-wife Kelly nearly half of the money.

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After LSU's championship, the school offered Orgeron a contract extension. In addition to the title, he had won the AP College Football Coach of the Year Award and the Home Depot Coach of the Year Award. The new deal would pay Orgeron about $7 million per season, worth around $42 million in total over six years. Six weeks after signing the extension, Orgeron filed for divorce from his ex-wife.

A lower court ruling in 2024 went in favor of Orgeron, but the supreme court's decision reversed the decision. The court called the contract a "community asset in which both husband and wife have an interest."

Per the supreme court's decision, Kelly will receive $8.13 million from the buyout.

Orgeron hasn't had a coaching job since LSU fired him in 2021. He likely didn't need one with so much money coming his way. With this new decision, his pockets just got quite a bit lighter. Maybe we'll see him on the sidelines sooner rather than later.