In an attempt to build anticipation for their season-opener against the Clemson Tigers, the LSU Tigers recently posted a hype video on their football social media accounts. It didn’t last very long and the video was seemingly deleted after it was criticized for highlighting imagery that drew a connection with a tragic incident related to head coach Brian Kelly.
The video opened with a black and white image of a watchtower, which was reminiscent of an incident in 2010 when Kelly was the head coach at Notre Dame. During a 2010 practice that was in a windstorm with gusts above 50 MPH, 20-year-old student videographer Declan Sullivan was standing on a hydraulic lift when it fell over, killing him.
An IOSHA [Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration] investigation fined Notre Dame $77,500 for six safety violations tied to Sullivan’s death, including knowingly putting its employees in an unsafe situation. The state said Notre Dame had failed to maintain safe working conditions or heed National Weather Service warnings.
As the head coach of the football team, Kelly faced criticism from many. For his part, he said he held the practice outside based “on information from my support staff.”
Kelly left Notre Dame after the 2021 season and has been the head coach at LSU since, going 29-11 in three seasons.
LSU has yet to repost the video.
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.