LSU Fans, Rejoice That Verge Ausberry Is Hiring The Coach, Not The Board Of Stupevisors | Glenn Guilbeau

November 1, 2025 Glenn Guilbeau LSU Football News 0
LSU Board of Supervisors chairman Scott Ballard (left) and Board athletic committee chairman John Carmouche (right) flanked new LSU interim athletic director Verge Ausberry at a strange, Halloween press conference on Friday at LSU. (LSU photos).

LSU Board of Supervisors leaders John H. Carmouche and John “Scott” Ballard should have worn Halloween costumes on Friday morning at a press conference to discuss how they Michael Myers-ed LSU athletic director Scott Woodward on Thursday night.

Now, they were working on the strong suggestions to fire Woodward by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who appointed each of them to the Board in June of 2024, along with several other members. But they still did it.

Each could’ve worn clown costumes Friday. Or Carmouche could’ve donned an LSU cheerleader outfit.

“What an exciting day here today at LSU,” Carmouche said with complete delusion to open the press conference at 8 a.m. on what was a dark day in LSU’s sordid, Shakespearean history of athletic director and coach stabbings in the night.

Carmouche was talking about introducing Woodward’s replacement – new interim athletic director Verge Ausberry at his left in the Lawton Room at Tiger Stadium. But it’s not like Ausberry was smiling, jumping up and down, or getting ready for the perfect cheer. He’d just lost a friend from his job and admired mentor in Woodward, whom he first worked with at LSU in the late 1990s. He celebrated with him national championships by coaches Woodward hired in baseball (2), women’s basketball and gymnastics in just the last few years.

“Let’s always remember, this is L-S-U,” Carmouche said, as if starting that perfect cheer. “This is the greatest athletics program in the country. And we will continue to be an elite destination for student-athletes, coaches and staff. I’ll say it again, this is L-S-U.”

Everybody down for two bits!

Greatest athletic program in the country? Not in football or men’s basketball for the last several years, which are clearly the two biggest financially. And projections have continued to have the athletic department operating at major financial loss.

When it was Ballard’s turn, the best costume would’ve been a hospital gown from one of the guys in the “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” movie, other than Jack Nicholson, of course.

“As you already know, last night Scott Woodward and LSU mutually agreed to part ways,” Ballard said.

Ballard repeated that “mutually agreed” spin several times when asked follow-up questions from smartly disagreeing reporters at the press conference, and he kept repeating it. So did Carmouche.

“It was a joint decision,” Carmouche said. “The Board and Mr. Woodward had discussions, and it was a joint decision, thought it was the best for both parties.”

Woodward has been unavailable to comment on the financial details of his exit. But it is unlikely he would have voluntarily left LSU, because if he had, he would not be able to receive his $6.7 million buyout. To receive that buyout, he would have to be fired without cause, which sources say is the correct way to characterize the dismissal of Woodward.

“I think not,” political strategist James Carville, a close Woodward friend since they worked under Baton Rouge mayor Pat Screen in the early 1980s, told Tiger Rag Saturday, when asked if he believes Woodward “mutually agreed” to resign.

Either our two Board members, who looked like they were doing their first-ever press conference, do not understand Woodward’s buyout, or they did not want to admit the Board fired Woodward. And they were trying to sugarcoat things like so many Halloween treats.

“As a contractual matter, LSU is only required to pay Woodward a buyout, if LSU made the decision to terminate his employment,” national sports attorney Tom Mars, who focuses on college football coach and athletic director contracts and buyouts, told Tiger Rag Saturday after reading Woodward’s contract.

“I’m not aware of any contract between a university and a head coach or athletic director that deals with a ‘mutual decision,’ and I’ve probably reviewed at least 50 of them,” Mars said. “Like all those I’ve reviewed, Woodward’s contract is binary and doesn’t address a ‘mutual decision’ scenario.”

Sounds like Carmouche, a very successful attorney in Baton Rouge, hasn’t read Woodward’s contract very closely. Nor has Ballard, who is owner of Ballard Brands dining company in Covington, and not a lawyer.

Both Carmouche and Ballard even answered questions about a buyout payment headed to Woodward, even though their “mutual agreement” characterization clearly contradicts that.

“It’s my understanding they’re working on that right now, and I’m sure when that’s done, it will be public,” Carmouche said.

Ballard even explained how Woodward’s buyout would be funded.

“It (Woodward’s buyout) will come from LSU self-generated athletic funds and/or private donations,” Ballard said.

“That’s a complete contradiction,” Mars said. “Must be fun covering LSU, since it appears there is no shortage of buffoonery. Let’s face it. Every person on the planet with an IQ higher than room temperature knows that LSU fired Scott Woodward.”

As far Ballard’s comments on LSU funds and donors only paying for contracts and buyouts, he either doesn’t understand or didn’t read what Landry said about how state taxpayers may have to contribute to the buyout of Kelly’s contract specifically, only if a donor does not step up and do so.

“This employment and license agreement is between the Board of Supervisors of LSU, a body corporate existing under the Constitution and laws of the state of Louisiana, and Brian Kelly for the services of Brian Kelly,” the opening paragraph of the contract reads. “This agreement shall be enforced and construed in accordance with the laws of Louisiana.”

Landry is a lawyer with a degree from Loyola in New Orleans and was the state’s Attorney General from 2016-24. He knows the law.

“If we have to pay $53 million (Kelly’s buyout), and somebody else (a deep-pocketed donor or donors) doesn’t step up to foot that bill, the state of Louisiana and its taxpayers have to foot that bill,” Landry said. “That is in the contract.”

Carmouche, who is a lawyer, disagreed as other lawyers have. But others have agreed with Landry’s interpretation.

“Let me make it clear, the Governor had a right to be concerned, and we’re working towards solutions. Everything is on the table,” Carmouche said. “But let me make it clear, the state has never, and the taxpayers have never paid for a coach and never will. So.”

That last statement is also open to interpretation, however.

“This contract that is currently between the state of Louisiana, the LSU System and Brian Kelly leaves the taxpayers of the state on the bill,” Landry said.

Ballard also refused to admit that Governor Jeff Landry had a heavy hand in Woodward’s firing. Multiple Tiger Rag sources have confirmed that Landry suggested Sunday night in a meeting with LSU Board members and other LSU officials at the Governor’s Mansion that Woodward be fired. Former Baton Rouge Advocate sports writer Ross Dellenger reported that Sunday edict by Landry in Yahoo Sports on Thursday.

Last Wednesday at a press conference, Landry adamantly said Woodward would not be hiring the next coach, stripping Woodward of one of his most attractive powers. But there were still many other powers he retained at the time.

Landry then said the Board of Supervisors would hire the coach, which remains accurate. Ausberry is in charge of the search, but one of his first moves was putting Ballard and Carmouche on the selection committee. Hopefully, neither will be that involved, based on their costumes Friday.

“No, I can tell you right now, Scott Woodward will not be selecting the next coach,” Landry said Wednesday, answering a question from Tiger Rag at hisress conference. “Hell, I’ll let Donald Trump select him before I let him (Woodward) do it.”

A day later, Woodward was fired.

“The Governor was not involved,” Ballard said Friday. “The Governor is worried about the state of Louisiana. His concern had to do with the state contract. LSU’s Board of Supervisors and Mr. Woodward decided jointly to part ways.”

Baton Rouge business magnate Richard Lipsey, a power broker and major donor for LSU who started the Tiger Athletic Foundation fund raising arm for athletics and remains close to the school, said Landry was very much involved in Woodward’s ouster.

“The Board’s leadership has handled this whole episode poorly,” Lipsey told Tiger Rag Saturday. “They let the Governor dictate their actions. I think he (Woodward) was put in a position, where he thought best to resign.”

Carmouche and Ballard also repeatedly refused to say why Woodward was fired after repeated questions. It was like they were Halloween masking the answer.

“It was a mutual agreement after conversations,” Ballard tried to explain again after another question on why Woodward was let go because he kept talking around it. “And with all the things that come into that – energy and family and what you’re doing. And you know, nothing’s off the table of why Scott and, and.”

And Ballard appeared to lose his train of thought.

“LSU had a mutual agreement,” he said yet again. “That after those conversations, that, that, they mutually agreed that, that it was a good idea.”

The double thats in the above quote are not typos. Ballard was stuttering.

“Scott is a great human being. Scott is a good Baton Rouge, LSU Tiger,” Ballard said. “It had nothing to do with any of that. Had everything to do with the path of both conversations, and they mutually agreed that it was time. It wasn’t an LSU thing. It wasn’t a Scott thing. So.”

So? So what, Mr. Ballard? What “thing” was it?

While watching Carmouche and Ballard on opposite ends of Ausberry, something occurred to me.

It’s a good thing Ausberry, and not the two clowns on either side of him, is picking the next LSU football coach.

And I feel like many out there would “mutually agree” with me.

I know Carville does.

“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility,” Carville told Tiger Rag Saturday, “toward Jeff Landry and the current LSU Board of Supervisors.”

Happy Halloween weekend.

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