LSU athletics director Scott Woodward in a hastily arranged news conference Sunday with ousted football coach Ed Orgeron said he hopes in the future to "hang out on the bayou" with his fellow Louisiana native.
Those good times eating crawfish jambalaya likely won't happen. Following news that the embattled Orgeron will step down after this season, reports of volatile animosity between him and the LSU administration kept coming, like tremors from an earthquake.
Woodward and Orgeron's awkward display of friendship didn't lessen the painful reality that Orgeron is leaving his dream job just 21 months after leading the Tigers to the 2019 national championship. As in previous seasons, turmoil had quickly swamped LSU's national success.
On the day after the Orgeron led his decimated LSU team to a 49-42 upset over Florida, LSU announced it had reached an agreement for the LaRose, La., native to leave after this season, taking a $17 million buyout.
Negotiations for Orgeron's ouster followed LSU's embarrassing blowout loss to Kentucky the week before the surprise victory over Florida. Earlier, LSU lost to UCLA and Auburn, crashing hopes that the Tigers would regain national prominence after a dismal 5-5 record in 2020.
Indefatigable Sports Illustrated reporter Ross Dellinger, who broke the news Sunday about Orgeron's deal with LSU, documented a series of angry outbursts by Orgeron, including a chair-throwing incident over a "hype video." Orgeron's bewildered players, and Woodward, reportedly witnessed Orgeron screaming in frustration in the locker room following the UCLA loss.
The Athletic's Brody Miller, also outshining the New Orleans-Baton Rouge Picayune-Advocate in reporting on the breakup deal, disclosed that Orgeron attempted to pick up a woman he encountered at a service station who turned out to be the pregnant wife of an LSU official. Orgeron's wolfish advances reached the administration.
After divorcing his wife of 23 years immediately after the championship, Orgeron brought girlfriends to the athletic department offices and allowed their children to participate in practices, WBRZ-TV reported. (My late father was the station's general manager for years).
Orgeron was also named in a Title IX lawsuit over rape cases involving former LSU running back Darius Guice. He also angered black players for expressing support for Donald Trump and not displaying empathy following the George Floyd slaying. The coach reportedly was unaware of a campus march by black and white team members in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Woodward stated at the news conference that LSU decided to change so soon after the national championship because of the Tigers' disappointing on-field performance.
After losing key coaches and players from the championship team including 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, the Tigers struggled to a 5-5 record in the pandemic-shadowed 2020 season and opened this year with the loss to mediocre UCLA. After Hurricane Ida, the Tigers had to leave Baton Rouge to practice in Houston before traveling to Pasadena, Calif. for the game against the Bruins.
But Orgeron's vaunted team was also listless in wins over McNeese Sate and Central Michigan, and blew a fourth quarter lead to lose to Auburn at home for the first time in 20 years.
The devastating 42-21 loss at Kentucky pushed Woodward over the edge. While negotiations for Orgeron's leaving were in progress last week, Orgeron was somehow focused enough to engineer the win over Florida, although LSU had lost most of its 5-star recruits to injury or academic ineligibility.
For LSU fans, the bizarre end to the Orgeron era replayed the melodramatic finales of Nick Saban and Les Miles.
A couple of years after winning the national title, Saban abruptly left to coach the Miami Dolphins, quickly spurning the NFL team to find unprecedented success at Alabama, LSU's bitter rival. Pressure to compete with the Tide has dominated LSU football during the Miles and Orgeron eras.
Miles also won a national championship before alienating Tigers fans with his stone-age offense, nutty behavior and increasingly frequent losses. Former AD Joe Aleva unceremoniously fired Miles only four games into the 2016 season, replacing him with Orgeron, who quickly revitalized the team with a few speed bumps such as a loss to Troy and conflict with former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Like Miles before him, Orgeron will leave a wounded program, no matter how well the Tigers fare for the rest of his lame-duck season.
At the press conference, Baton Rouge native Woodward made no mention of Orgeron's off-field controversies that have blazed across LSU fans' message boards and social media platforms.
A photo surfaced last season of Orgeron in bed with a woman. But, as late Gov. Edwin noted when he said he would only lose a Louisiana election if found with a dead girl or live boy, Orgeron's womanizing wouldn't have led to his ouster if he had kept winning.
That's all that matters, Woodward made clear. After reaching a lucrative deal with gambling promoter Caesars Entertainment, Louisiana's flagship research institution will have ample money to buy out Orgeron, as well as pay millions to some big-time coach.
The "student athletes" Woodward mentioned in passing will have to make do with "NIL" agreements, or seek to transfer to schools elsewhere. Orgeron assured fans that he will still be recruiting players during his long farewell.
Prospective LSU coaches have been put on notice: winning will be judged above all else.