Aug 30, 2025; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
By Sam Neumann on

Brian Kelly apologized Monday for snapping at a reporter who asked about LSU’s offensive struggles following Saturday’s 20-10 win over Florida.

“I’ve texted with Mike and offered my apology to him for the way I handled the questioning,” Kelly said Monday. “I think it’s important to understand that my standards, relative to how we work with the media on a day-to-day basis, need to be higher. And I take responsibility for that.”

The apology came after Kelly berated WBRZ sports director Michael Cauble during Saturday’s postgame press conference. When Cauble asked about the offense’s performance — LSU managed just 13 points and converted 4 of 14 third downs — Kelly called the questions “ridiculous” and told Cauble he was “spoiled” for not appreciating the victory.

Kelly doubled down during the exchange, saying, “Those are ridiculous questions, and I’m getting tired of it. You’re spoiled, you’re spoiled. This team is 17-1 at night. Give them some respect instead of microanalyzing every little thing.”

In his Monday apology, Kelly acknowledged the difficulty of making specific assessments immediately after games without reviewing film, and said he would naturally defend his players first. But he also recognized his response crossed a line.

“I have to do a better job of handling those kinds of questions,” Kelly said early Monday on the SEC Network. “I apologized to Michael Cauble, who’s a very good reporter. There is so much emotion after a game like that. I want to defend my players and my team. But I’ll do better.”

Kelly called Cauble “an outstanding reporter” who “works hard” and promised he would “do better moving forward.”

Cauble responded to the original incident with his own video, defending his questions about an offense that managed just 45 rushing yards when you remove one late 51-yard carry. “This is a championship team, or they expect to be,” Cauble said. “He told us to keep the receipts. Well, we’re keeping the receipts.”

LSU faces South Carolina this Saturday in its next SEC matchup.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann