UL-Lafayette athletics have cost taxpayers nearly $50 million over the past 3 years

The ULL athletic department ran at a $12 million deficit in 2024, an $8 million deficit in 2023, and a $5 million deficit in 2022. Those deficits are after receiving over $16.5 million in direct institutional support - e.g. money from the university - each year.

ULL Athletics - LLA Audit Report 2022
ULL Athletics - LLA Audit Report 2023
ULL Athletics - LLA Audit Report 2024

For reference:
1. The $16.5 million that is transferred to UL-Lafayette’s athletic department from the university each year is nearly double the ~$8.9 million LSU’s athletic department will be paying Brian Kelly each year (assuming it isn’t negotiated down as a lump sum).
2. Unlike UL-Lafayette, LSU’s athletic department does not receive any direct monetary support from the institution. In fact, LSU’s athletic department transferred $2.5 million back to the university last year.

Since taxpayers are actually on the hook (for double Kelly’s buyout) for sports at ULL, should we shut them down?


*ETA: Some additional information regarding LSU athletics, for reference.*

The LSU athletic department is entirely self-funded and has received a total of $0 in direct or indirect institutional support (“state money”) since at least 2004. It’s possible that the athletic department has been self-funded for much longer than that, but the school’s NCAA financial reports are only available from 2004-present.

From FY2011 to present, the LSU athletic department has actually contributed an average of $6.1 million per year back to the university’s academic side. Again, the trend may go back further but the NCAA reporting format started requiring this information in 2011. Someone with better sleuthing skills might be able to go back further.

This LSU Sports article by Michael Bonnette in 2010 notes that LSU and Nebraska were the only two athletic departments in the entire country to receive no state subsidies.

While technically the state (via the BOS) has to guarantee every contract the athletic department enters into, the state is not on the hook “if boosters decide not to pay.” The state is only on the hook if the athletic department becomes insolvent and can’t pay their bills.

This is not a flaw in Brian Kelly’s contract; it’s a consequence of the athletic department being part of Louisiana State University. This applies to every contract the athletic department executes. It also applies to all of the athletic department’s other liabilities, such as bonds taken out for projects. If the state and BOS don’t want to be on the hook for athletic contracts, they could always roll the entire athletic department into TAF and relinquish control. Spoiler: they won’t. Because unlike every other university in Louisiana, LSU’s athletic department pays their own bills and is a net revenue generator for the university.

Brian Kelly’s buyout, if not negotiated to a reduced lump sum, will cost LSU ~$8.9 million per year through 2031. Meanwhile LSU football generated $108 million in revenue with $55 million in expenses last year. That’s a $53 million/year surplus for the football program. LSU football’s surplus is so large it could fund ULL’s entire athletic department.