(NewsNation) — Republican Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy believes there is no controversy regarding Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s comments about LSU’s firing of its football coach Brian Kelly and the hiring process to replace him.
Cassidy joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” on Wednesday to discuss a variety of topics, including the Louisiana State University Tigers and Charlie Kirk’s worthiness of a statue alongside other American heroes.
LSU (5-3) fired Brian Kelly on Sunday following the team’s 49-25 loss — its third in four games — at home to Texas A&M on Saturday.
The decision came after meetings between LSU decision-makers at Landry’s home. On Wednesday, the Republican governor admitted he would prefer President Trump to decide the school’s next football coach over Athletic Director Scott Woodward.
“My role is about the fiscal effect of firing a coach under a terrible contract, OK?” Landry said, via ESPN.
“All I care about is what the taxpayers are going to be on the hook [for]. I was also not happy with the fact that we were raising ticket prices while we were having a losing season. And we were paying a coach $100 million and we were not getting the results.”
When asked about the governor’s role, Cassidy told NewsNation that Landry can do “whatever he wants.”
“LSU football is big back home. … Now, the governor said he’s not picking the coach, but he did meet with the board of supervisors, and the board of supervisors is going to have a role in it. That’s not unusual. That’s been done in the past. … It’s not always just the athletic director,” Cassidy said.