BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) -- Gov. Jeff Landry pointed to verbiage in Brian Kelly's contract with LSU to explain why public officials, like himself, would be raising concerns about the financial aspect of Kelly's firing.

Landry said Louisiana would be liable for any debt and, in turn, would place a burden on the taxpayers. He wrote in a post on X Thursday, "Brian Kelly’s contract was with the Board of LSU, it’s in the first paragraph, and LSU is a subdivision of the State."

The governor told reporters on Wednesday that his role surrounds the financial impacts of firing a coach and what taxpayers would be "on the hook for." He has also voiced his displeasure with the university board's decision to approve an increase in season tickets for the next season, while the Tigers haven't performed up to fans' expectations this season.

The day of Kelly's firing, Landry said a meeting was held at the governor's mansion to discuss legality, cost and the financial impact of the contract, calling Kelly's potential buyout "a $53 million liability."

He reiterated his concerns in an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," where he called for the NCAA to place guardrails and suggested that maybe coach contracts should be performance-based. McAfee said he believes Landry is in a position to drive change.

Timeline of events after Kelly's firing

• Oct. 26: Brian Kelly is fired as LSU head football coach after a Saturday loss to Texas A&M. Associate head coach Frank Wilson is named as the interim coach.
• Oct. 27: LSU's offensive coordinator, Joe Sloan, is fired.
• Oct. 28: Frank Wilson addresses the media for the first time as interim coach.
• Oct. 29: Gov. Jeff Landry speaks publicly about his concerns over Kelly's contract and his involvement in the search for a new head coach.

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