Usually when someone gets fired from a job that isn’t a good thing. But everyone isn’t Ed Orgeron, the former head coach of the LSU Tigers, who was fired from his position following last season.
But as is the case with so many high Power Five gigs, the payout for him to leave was pretty large. LSU AD Scott Woodward and the Tigers brass decided to pay Orgeron all $17 million remaining on his contract even though they could’ve fired him for cause and probably not given him a dime.
Chasing Women, Not Wins? | Ed Orgeron Out As LSU Head Coach At End Of 2021 Season
Since his firing, which was the result of a combination of losing and his growing appetite for fraternizing with the opposite sex on and off the campus grounds, Orgeron hasn’t really kept a low profile as most do. Orgeron has been seen at football games with his new girlfriend and he’s even given interviews on how his firing went down. Always full of charisma, Coach O has never been one to shy away from the camera. That was once the case again this past weekend as he was seen at a Tulane Green Wave football game. In typical Coach O “loves the ladies” fashion Orgeron took a picture with the Green Wave’s cheerleaders.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron files for divorce from wife Kelly of 23 years https://t.co/jeuBHzq7dw
— The Daily Advertiser (@theadvertiser) April 2, 2020
In the pic, Coach O can be seen standing behind the cheerleaders as they posed for the camera.
An Instagram page which goes by the handle of “pardonmytake,” captioned the pic as “Kings stay Kings.”
Coach O Has Been A Busy Man: Gave Recent Interview Of How His Firing Went Down
Orgeron’s divorce from his wife of 23 years was finalized in 2021, and even before that, the former Bayou Bengals head coach was living his life on the edge, so to speak.
https://twitter.com/biggamejames_36/status/1319000124585017351?s=46&t=nyoo8tGHdHoPZ02t71Gpsg
There have been pictures that surfaced of him in bed, looking smashed and cuddled up with a much younger woman who wasn’t his wife. The pic went viral and wasn’t a good look for someone who’s the face of one of the biggest college football brands in the sport.
Coach O on his time and exit from LSU . He was at the Little Rock Touchdown Club today. pic.twitter.com/n87SmTnXqW
— Steve Sullivan (@sully7777) September 6, 2022
That was the just the tip of the iceberg, as reports of different women that he was dating and their kids being at team practices and around the campus daily began to leak out. As all of this was occurring the luster of winning the 2019 College Football Playoffs national championship began to wear off. The team struggled mightily on the field in the two seasons following their triumphant title win, and at the center of the struggles was Orgeron’s busy lifestyle off the field as a new bachelor.
LSU and Coach O parted ways following the 2021 season, and Orgeron recently gave a spirited and humorous interview addressing how things went down in the meeting when he was relieved of his duties.
“They said, ‘Coach, you’ve got $17.1 million on your contract. We’re gonna give it to you.’ I said, ‘What time do you want me to leave and what door do you want me out of, brother?’”
To walk away $17 million richer would probably make anyone smile, especially when he could’ve been canned and given not a dime, because LSU might have had had viable cause to rid of him.
Orgeron Probably Won’t Coach Again: He Doesn’t Need To
The goal of any coach is to win a championship, Orgeron accomplished that. He also put many players in the pros, especially from that 2019 team. But the way things ended in Baton Rouge will probably keep him from ever being considered for another head coaching job. Schools don’t want that type of scandal around their program. But at the end of the day, Coach O is set for life and doesn’t need to stalk a sideline again.
He cashed out and he’s enjoying the fruits of his labor.
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