Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry vows to block LSU athletic director from picking the next football coach

Gov. Jeff Landry is concerned that taxpayers will be on the hook for the more than $50 million owed to fired coach Brian Kelly and he wants to prevent something similar happening in the next deal.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry intends to prevent LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward from hiring the Tigers' next football coach.

"Hell, I'll let Donald Trump select him before I let him do it," Landry said of Woodward during a press conference he held in Baton Rouge on Wednesday to mainly discuss other governmental matters.

Woodward, who announced coach Brian Kelly's firing on Sunday night, has so far declined to comment on Landry's remarks.

Landry confirmed his involvement in discussions on Sunday that led to the firing of Kelly, who'd been hired by LSU after the 2021 football season and signed to a guaranteed contract paying him about $100 million over 10 years.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly during the first half against Vanderbilt on Oct. 18. George Walker IV / The Associated PressLSU still owes Kelly more than $52 million through 2031, although that figure could be negotiated down or offset by money Kelly earned in a subsequent coaching job.