Brian Kelly's lawyers send LSU letter saying school 'made it nearly impossible' for him to find new job

While LSU reportedly prepares a massive $98 million contract offer for Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, the administration has yet to finalize the termination of former coach Brian Kelly. 

Kelly, whom LSU fired a month ago after a blowout loss to Texas A&M, has been waiting to resolve a buyout dispute with the school. Kelly filed a lawsuit over the buyout situation to get the full $54 million he is owed, per his contract, but LSU claimed then-athletic director Scott Woodward didn't have the authority to fire Kelly and has yet to send him a formal letter of his firing. 

Now, Kelly's attorneys sent LSU a letter which claims the school dragging out the firing process has done him harm in terms of finding a new job, per ESPN. 

"As you know, there is absolutely no basis to LSU's contrived positions that Coach Kelly was not terminated or that cause existed for such termination," the letter said. "LSU's conduct, including its failure to confirm that Coach Kelly was terminated without cause and its unsupported allegations of misconduct on the part of Coach Kelly, has made it nearly impossible for Coach Kelly to secure other football-related employment. LSU's conduct continues to harm Coach Kelly, particularly during this critical hiring period."

Kelly's buyout includes offset language for a new job. By sending this letter, Kelly is making a legal argument that he can't get into the market to fulfill his requirement to pursue the best possible job that could mitigate some of the buyout from LSU's side. 

LSU, which initially wanted to negotiate the buyout terms with Kelly, has been looking into whether they could fire Kelly for cause and not pay the buyout. Kelly's attorneys insisted the school missed the window to do so, but all of this seems headed for a contentious court battle unless both sides find common ground soon.