Louisiana State University today announced that days after firing football coach Brian Kelly, the man who hired him is gone, too.
"LSU Athletics and Director of Athletics Scott Woodward have agreed to part ways effective immediately," according to a news release.
The news comes a day after Governor Jeff Landry was very critical of Woodward, saying that LSU's AD would not be the one to hire the next football coach. A bulk of the criticism was relative to the lucrative buyout that came alongside Kelly's firing, which Landry said would be footed by Louisiana's taxpayers.
Kelly's firing came midway through his fourth season in Baton Rouge after inking a 10-year, $95 million contract ahead of the 2021 season to lure the high-profile coach away from Notre Dame. He went 34-14 at the helm of LSU's program and was fired after back-to-back SEC losses, the most recent a 49-25 blowout to rival Texas A&M. New Orleans native Frank Wilson will serve as the football team's interim head coach for the remainder of the season, previously in the role of assistant head coach and running backs coach.
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“We thank Scott for the last six years of service as athletic director,” said Scott Ballard, Board of Supervisors Chair. “He had a lot of success at LSU, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future. Our focus now is on moving the athletic department forward and best positioning LSU to achieve its full potential.”
Woodward is a Baton Rouge native and LSU alum. He's been LSU's athletic director since 2019 and orchestrated the hiring of baseball coach Jay Johnson and women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, both of whom have delivered national championships to Baton Rouge.
"Others can recap or opine on my tenure and on my decisions over the last six years as Director of Athletics, but I will not," Woodward wrote in an open latter after the firing. "Rather, I will focus on the absolute joy that LSU Athletics brings to our state’s residents and to the Baton Rouge community. I will cherish the incredible relationships I have built within the University community and beyond our campus borders. And I will fondly remember the national and SEC championships for the joy that they brought to our student-athletes, coaches, staff, campus community and our incredible fans."
Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry will serve as Interim Director of Athletics, according to the news release. LSU had scheduled a press conference for Friday morning (Oct. 31) to discuss the change in leadership for the program.