The chaos surrounding the LSU Tigers athletics department right now has a ringleader: Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry.
Landry inserted himself into the Brian Kelly drama in the days leading up to the fourth-year head coach’s firing. He followed that up by calling out athletic director Scott Woodward and claiming he’d consult President Donald Trump about the next coach. Woodward and the school parted ways soon after. Meanwhile, Landry has made the rounds, appearing on The Pat McAfee Show and other national programs to make his case for LSU’s next head coach, even if he’s not entirely up to speed on how college football works now.
Many in the college football world have blanched at the situation, specifically Landry’s outsized and public role in the process. However, don’t count Barstool owner Dave Portnoy among those who don’t like it.
Appearing on Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday, Portnoy offered his appreciation to Landry and said this kind of drama is exactly why we watch college football.
“I had to check whether I was watching AI at first, but that rant, that Louisiana governor, that accent, that’s everything we love about college football,” said Portnoy, decked out in head-to-toe Michigan gear in Columbus. “It’s rivalries. It’s being here in Columbus where you get this warm welcome. This is what makes such a wild, wacky, great sport it is, is people have no rationale, no common sense. It’s just people get so mad. So I love the governor taking this into his own hands. I love calling out the AD. That’s what we all want. When [Ohio State’s] Ryan Day lost for the hundredth-straight time against Michigan, these people are going nuts calling for his head.
“This is what makes college football great. We need more of it. Accountability. I loved everything about that rant. It’s what makes college football one of the best sports of all time.”
College football certainly is a sport made up of strange traditions, bitter rivalries, and odd characters. Portnoy is one of the few people, however, to see what’s going on around LSU’s football program as a positive.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.