LSU coach Brian Kelly apologizes after outburst at reporter following Florida win
Kelly says he has apologized to WBRZ reporter Michael Cauble after questioning about LSU's offense; reporter stands by his critique
LSU head coach Brian Kelly apologized Monday for a heated exchange with a reporter following the Tigers' 20-10 victory over Florida on Saturday.
The confrontation occurred at the postgame news conference when WBRZ reporter Michael Cauble asked Kelly for an assessment of the team's offense and its third-down execution. Kelly responded angrily, saying, "Stop. Really? Is that the first question? We won the game 20-10. Try another question. What do you want me to tell you? I just laid it out for you. We played the game to win the game." He later added, "You're looking at this from the wrong perspective. LSU won the football game, won the game. I don't know what you want from me. What do you want? You want us to win 70-0 against Florida to keep you happy?" Cauble had pressed on the Tigers' rushing output after LSU totaled 96 rushing yards in the win.
Two days after the exchange, Kelly said he had reached out to Cauble and offered an apology. "I've texted with Mike and offered my apology to him for the way I handled the questioning," Kelly said at a press conference 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, and I'll be better in the future." He added that his comments were affected by the immediate emotions after a game, saying he had not yet watched any film and that he felt a need to defend his players.
Cauble, who posted video of the exchange on social media, defended his questions and the coverage of LSU's offense. He described the unit as "pedestrian at best" and said reporters were "keeping the receipts" on the team's production. The reporter maintained that scrutiny is appropriate given LSU's expectations.
LSU improved to 3-0 to open the season with the victory over Florida, but the offense has yet to produce a high-scoring performance. The Tigers have averaged 20 points per game in wins against Clemson, Louisiana Tech and Florida. Kelly, who took over the program in 2022, is 32-11 at LSU and has not yet led the team to the College Football Playoff; the playoff field expanded to 12 teams in 2024.
LSU’s schedule turns to a matchup against Southeastern Louisiana this weekend before a stretch of Southeastern Conference games that includes Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Alabama in the coming weeks. Kelly and the team face continued attention on offensive consistency as they pursue conference and national goals.
The university and coaching staff did not provide further comment beyond Kelly's apology Monday. Cauble said he would continue to raise questions about the team's performance in future coverage.