Auditor: LSU overpaid Brian Kelly by more than $1 million

LSU head football coach Brian Kelly was overpaid more than $1 million last year, according to an audit of the university’s athletic department by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office.

The audit found LSU made double payments to Kelly in May and June and erroneously continued supplemental payments between May and November 2022, totaling $1,001,368. 

Kelly was hired in 2021 with a 10-year $95 million contract. 

The department has put in place an adjusted payment schedule so the university can recoup the overpaid amount by June 30, the end of fiscal year 2023. 

The report also found the athletic department also misclassified nearly $6.7 million in severance payments, instead identifying them as coaching salaries, and neglected to announce nearly $140 million in debt on its NCAA financial report. The mistakes were attributed to excluding information related to debt held by the Tiger Athletic Foundation, the private fundraising arm of LSU sports.

Both mistakes have been addressed by the university, according to the audit report.