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Scott Woodward is expected to be out as LSU's athletic director, sources told ESPN on Thursday, another casualty of the intersection of sports and politics in Louisiana. The announcement is expected in the near future, according to sources. The news comes just days after the Tigers fired Brian Kelly as head coach on Sunday amid a 5-3 season. Woodward drew the ire of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, who publicly criticized him multiple times this week. In a news conference Wednesday, Landry said that Woodward would not be hiring LSU's next football coach. On the "Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday, Landry added: "There's a number of bad contracts that seem to have followed Scott Woodward." The flurry of comments from Landry made Woodward's departure an inevitability, with the only variable being timing. His exit is expected to be announced soon, with a source telling ESPN that the expectation is that Woodward will be paid out the more than $6 million he is owed on his contract. A source confirmed to ESPN that longtime athletic department staffer Verge Ausberry, the executive deputy athletic director, will be the interim athletic director.
