The University of Kansas and head football coach Les Miles have decided to part ways with immediate effect, according to the school’s athletics department.
Miles was put on administrative leave while the university conducted a study to decide next steps, according to KU director of athletics Jeff Long. It came after the publication of two investigations into Miles’ alleged sexual assault and improper conduct while at Louisiana State University. The charges have been refuted by Miles.
From 2005 to 2016, Miles was the head coach at LSU, where the Tigers won the national championship in 2007. On November 18, 2018, the Jayhawks recruited him to lead their football team.
Long issued a statement on Monday saying, “I am deeply disappointed for our university, fans, and everyone involved with our football program.” “On this football team, there is a lot of young talent, and I am confident that we can find the right person to lead this program. We will immediately begin the search for a new head coach with the help of an outside company. We need to win football games, and we’re going to do just that.”
Following the publication of an LSU Title IX report conducted by the Husch Blackwell law firm on Friday, Miles was placed on administrative leave. That study came after the Taylor Porter law firm released its findings from a 2013 investigation into Miles.
The Taylor Porter investigation, which was conducted at LSU’s request, found that Miles “engaged in actions that demonstrated poor judgment,” but found no evidence of a legal breach.
“The Taylor Porter Study should put an end to the baseless, false media reporting that Coach Les Miles participated in an appropriate touching of an Athletic Department student volunteer,” Miles’ attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said in a statement on Friday.
On Friday, Miles’ attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said in a statement that “the Taylor Porter Report should put an end to the baseless, inaccurate media reports that Coach Les Miles engaged in an appropriate touching of an Athletic Department student volunteer eight years ago.”
Ginsberg also slammed the Husch Blackwell inquiry, claiming that no interviews with Miles or other key witnesses were conducted. Instead, he said the law firm questioned Taylor Porter’s findings without presenting any proof.
Following a story in USA Today in November 2020 titled “LSU mishandled sexual assault charges against students, including top athletes,” Husch Blackwell was hired by LSU.
