LSU's Brian Kelly lawsuit may have unintentionally burned additional bridges

LSU's firing of Brian Kelly and the aftermath have been anything but normal, as each day in Baton Rouge brings a new wrinkle. The latest wrinkle came when it was revealed that Brian Kelly filed a lawsuit against the Tigers, as they alleged that Scott Woodward didn't have the authority to fire Kelly, and that they now felt they had the grounds to fire him for cause. If the Tigers now claim they fired Kelly for cause, it will start a massive battle in the courts, and if LSU won allow the Tigers to escape paying his $54 million buyout.

Brian Kelly and his team have every reason to be angry at the Tigers, as this semantics play for the Tigers is insane. The Governor himself held a press conference breaking down the Tigers' firing of Kelly, and LSU even released a statement addressing the firing.

While LSU may think it has a chance to escape paying the $54 million they would owe Brian Kelly, they may have hurt themselves in the long run. Brian Kelly's agent, Trace Armstrong, is certainly someone the Tigers shouldn't have tried to cross in this entire situation.

LSU burning a bridge with Trace Armstrong could prove costly

After firing Brian Kelly, the LSU Tigers will now look for the next Head Coach to lead this team back to National Championship contention. When LSU last hired a coach, their top candidates were Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, and Matt Rhule, while Armstrong also represents several other coaches.

As the Tigers try to do whatever they can to avoid paying Brian Kelly's buyout, Trace Armstrong will certainly take note. By going against Brian Kelly and Trace Armstrong, the Tigers may be shutting themselves out of the conversation for some of their top potential candidates.

The Tigers may not only be affected on the coaching side of the equation, but LSU may have hurt itself when it comes to building a roster. Trace Armstrong and Athletes First have a lengthy list of athletes they represent, including the current LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier which was revealed during the Netflix SEC Football documentary.

If you're Trace Armstong and you have an athlete considering LSU in the Transfer Portal, it's going to be tough to recommend the Tigers. Armstrong's recommendation will have nothing to do with the Tigers firing Brian Kelly, but the way that they're now trying to find a way to not fulfill their agreement.

The next few weeks are going to be fascinating for the LSU Tigers, as they were the most attractive job opening when they fired Brian Kelly, but every moment since has been a black eye on the program. It's going to be interesting to see who LSU ends up hiring as this entire situation may have scared away the top names.