LSU's interim head football coach Ed Orgeron, who will leave the team and LSU when the regular season ends is set to haul in over the next 4 years $16.9 million without stepping on a football field. A great pay day for a coach who did not deserve the huge increase in salary just because LSU won the national championship in 2019.
A report in the New Orleans Advocate of 10/19/21 said LSU athletic director Scott Woodward worked out the details with Coach O after Woodward lined up the buy out money with LSU boosters. Coach O and LSU's President agreed to the terms. The article also stated that Woodward was an extraordinary judge of people. The Orgeron affair tells a different story.
LSU not only misjudged Coach O's ability on the field they treated him with kid gloves on the alleged sexual harassment involving certain football players. It took an out of town newspaper to break the story and LSU failed to require Coach O to testify under oath when a woman did so and said Coach O had contacted her when Coach O previously said he had not contacted any one involved. In other words LSU failed to have Coach O testify under oath and as a result could not cross examine him on the issue.
Nick Saban wanted out at LSU for reasons never told. It was not because he wanted to return to the NFL and was the subject of a commentary in Politidose at the time. Saban wanted out because he is a no nonsense coach who saw how LSU operated and did not like what he saw. The two coaches that followed Saban, Les Miles and Coach O both won national championships but never achieved a long lasting winning record and both were fired.
And now when LSU's present season comes to an end they will not make the BCS playoffs once again. They have made the playoffs only once since the new format was put in effect 8 years ago. Not a very good record for a team that usually ends up in the top five recruiting wise.
So now the hunt starts for a new head coach for LSU football and LSU's supporters will once again be asked to help out with their deep pockets. And the new coach will be praised before he even coaches a game at LSU. That is what has become of college football. Nick Saban does not have that problem. He has an enviable record that speaks for itself. And Saban knew what he was doing when he decided to leave LSU. And that really tells the story of what has been taking place at LSU since Saban departed.
This commentary written by Joe Lorio
