Ed Orgeron's ex-wife awarded $8 million from his LSU contract buyout

Ed Orgeron’s ex-wife Kelly received a favorable court ruling on Friday.

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Kelly is entitled to half the money Ed received in his contract buyout, which amounts to $8.13 million. Orgeron led LSU to the national championship in the 2019 season (the Tigers won the championship in January 2020). Orgeron received a contract extension from LSU after winning the championship. However, the timeline of his divorce and his extension came under question and led to the dispute.

Orgeron signed a term sheet with LSU on January 14, 2020 regarding his contract extension. He filed for a divorce from ex-wife Kelly a month after signing the term sheet. The tricky thing is Orgeron’s contract extension was not approved by LSU’s board of supervisors until April, after divorce proceedings were underway. Orgeron and LSU agreed he would not return as the Tigers’ head coach after 2021. He received a buyout of around $17 million.

Leading up to the state supreme court’s decision this week, two lower courts had ruled in Ed Orgeron’s favor. A district court judge had ruled in late 2022 that the money from the buyout was solely Ed’s because it was earned after their separation. A First Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed that decision in 2024. But the supreme court ruled 5-2 in favor of Kelly, feeling that Orgeron’s contract extension was community property. They felt the term sheet he signed while the two were still married was a binding agreement.

Orgeron has not coached since being let go by LSU. The 63-year-old seemed content to take his multimillion-dollar buyout from LSU and just chill.

Orgeron went 51-20 as LSU’s head coach, including the 2016 season where he took over on an interim basis. His teams went 11-11 in the two years after winning the championship, which led to his ouster.

Orgeron revealed two years ago that he had gotten engaged to a new woman following his divorce from Kelly.