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LSU seems to have a problem when it comes to defining roles within the athletic department, thanks to newly appointed president Wade Rousse. This time, it's whether Verge Ausberry is actually the permanent athletics director for the Tigers. Just when you thought the situation in Baton Rouge had settled down, with Rousse being hired, followed by interim AD Verge Ausberry having the short-term tag removed from his job title, President Rousse seems to be lost on how to define his hires. Let's be honest, the past ten days have been a southern political drama that is made for television. Are they going to announce this hiring at a company volleyball match? Only an avid ‘The Office’ fan would get that reference. Tiger Town Circus: LSU Fires Brian Kelly, Exiles Scott Woodward, And Lets the Governor Call Plays First was the decision to fire Brian Kellly, which former AD Scott Woodward essentially did on his own, followed by Governor Jeff Landry going on a tirade against Woodward that occurred during a press conference regarding the government shutdown. Then, the LSU Board Of Supervisors made the decision to hire McNeese State president Wade Rousse as the school's next leader. This led many to think the situation in Baton Rouge was simmering down like a nice bowl of gumbo. After Roussee was officially voted in, he made the decision to make interim athletic director Verge Ausberry the permanent AD, or so we thought. You can't make this stuff up, but somehow LSU continues to find itself in the middle of a public relations nightmare. LSU Fans Are So Confused. But, Go Find A Coach, Right? On Wednesday, most around college athletics thought that taking the interim tag off an employee meant that person was getting the full-time job. But, not so fast, thanks to a mumbling of words that would make Governor Landry pull a double-take. "I'll remove the interim [title] and then we'll assess the situation. I can't make a very good decision after being on that on the job for eight hours," President Rousse told Piper Hutchinson. LSU, AD Scott Woodward Part Ways After Brian Kelly Firing And Governor Jeff Landry Feud Then came this word salad that has LSU fans all sorts of confused. "I don’t know what permanent means versus removing the interim," Rousse explained to Hutchinson. Ok, I think we all agree that an employee having the interim tag taken off their title means that they are now the permanent job holder. No question, it's Ausberry's job now, right? When asked about the length of Ausberry's upcoming contract, President Rousse decided to throw another curveball when it comes to the athletic director position. "I don't have that information yet. I know there has not been a new contract yet. We're supposed to announce that in days if we're going to go down that road," LSU Officials Have Turned This Into Spinoff Of ‘The Office’ What in the southern hell is going on? ‘If we’re going to go down that road?' So, you might not actually hire the guy in a full-time position moving forward? No, LSU fans, you're not taking some sort of crazy pills. Rousse can't seem to find a way to just say he doesn't know whether Ausberry will be the actual AD after the new year. Deion Sanders Shields Colorado Players From Criticism By Blocking Media Interviews, Which Is Bad Business But wait, he wasn’t done just yet. When pressed about the issue on Wednesday night, President Rousse delivered this answer about Ausberry that has us all wondering if we have somehow downed a fifth of bourbon and don't know it. "I’m getting to know Verge very well. I just removed the interim tag off his, he’s the acting AD," Rousse said on WWLAM. Been some early conversations with him about 48 hours on this job…He has my full authority to go find us a coach." My goodness, does this guy know that ‘Acting AD’ is the same thing as ‘Interim AD?' This should not be that hard to explain, but for some reason he either doesn't know the difference, or we are all just losing our minds over his definition of a full-time job. Nothing about this entire ordeal at LSU should surprise anyone, given how the past ten days have gone. But, I've seen some things in this industry over the past twenty years, and the show LSU is putting on right now could win an Emmy Award for best comedy series. I feel like I'm at Dunder Mifflin, just waiting to give the camera a look of confusion, as Michael Scott is trying to explain how he's going to pay for the tuition of twenty underprivileged high school seniors. Welcome to LSU.
