Explaining John Chavis’ lawsuit against LSU and Texas A&M

LSU and former defensive coordinator John Chavis are currently wrangling in court over whether Chavis owes the school his $400,000 buyout for breach of contract. A key sticking point in all this, according to the Baton Rouge Advocate’s Scott Rabalais, is exactly when Chavis started working for Texas A&M.

For those who have not been following closely, here is a brief timeline of events.

Dec. 30: Rumors begin suggesting Chavis is certain to leave LSU for Texas A&M
Jan. 5: Chavis submits 30-day notice
Jan. 15: Pictured in Texas A&M gear on a recruiting visit with Kris Boyd
Feb. 4: End of 30-day notice window
Feb. 13: Official hire date at Texas A&M
Feb. 27: Chavis files suit against LSU (and Texas A&M, oddly enough)

A clause in Chavis’ contract dictated that he could terminate his contract without penalty if he left LSU with less than 11 months remaining on his deal. His contract expired on Dec. 31, 2015, which means he would be able to leave for nothing beginning in February. If he left before that 11-month mark, he would owe LSU $400,000. Since Chavis filed his 30-day notice with the window expiring after Feb. 1, he should have been fine to walk to Texas A&M for nothing, but that goes down the drain if he begins working for the Aggies before then.

By the letter of the law, Chavis should not have been able to be out doing work for Texas A&M in any capacity before that 30-day window closed on Feb. 4. Recruiting is definitely within a coach’s job description, so when he went to Boyd’s home on Jan. 15, he was either in breach of contract and owes LSU that buyout or he was operating as a Texas A&M booster, which would be an NCAA violation.

Normally, these types of suits typically end with settlements, but one gets the impression that bad blood and hurt feelings may drag this out longer than normal.