Coach Brian Kelly is paid about $10 million a year to coach the football team at the Ole War Skule. Meanwhile, the school's main library floods when it rains. A lot of people are upset over this disparity.
But let's take a look at the numbers: LSU has nearly $700 million in deferred maintenance costs and needs $150 million for a new library.
Even if Kelly were to work for free, and instead pay LSU $10 million a year for the privilege of coaching the Tigers, it would still take nearly 50 years to hit that mark!
The fact that athletics has a shiny new locker room, while the library floods, does say something about the priorities of the people of Louisiana, and it does not look good!
But the football team is not the *cause* of LSU's financial woes. The Louisiana Legislature is.
About 10 years ago, under Gov. Bobby Jindal, they slashed funding to the university. Before then, Gov. Mike Foster had put LSU on the right track
So, enjoy the games! But if you value LSU as an institution of higher learning, send your legislator a letter or give them a call. Tell them you want LSU's state funding levels restored to what they were under Foster.
DOMINIC MARCELLO
Baton Rouge