Kansas, football coach Les Miles mutually agree to part ways amid probe into inappropriate behavior at LSU

Nancy Armour, Kenny Jacoby and Jessica Luther

USA TODAY

Inevitable as it was that Les Miles was soon to be the former head football coach at the University of Kansas, he and the school still announced his departure under the cover of darkness and without giving a reason for it.

In a statement that went out just before 11 p.m. EST Monday, Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said he was “extremely disappointed” and promised he was committed to winning. Miles called it a “difficult day” and urged his players to continue what he started.

Someone who didn’t know any better might think this was just another run-of-the-mill, midseason change in coaches.

Which it most definitely was not.

Miles became a liability to Kansas on Feb. 24, after USA TODAY reported that Miles was the subject of an internal investigation at LSU in 2013 over sexual misconduct allegations. Investigators for outside law firm Taylor Porter deemed Miles' conduct inappropriate, and LSU issued a letter of reprimand.

When a second investigation, released Friday by Husch Blackwell, included even more damning details of Miles’ behavior at LSU, his fate was sealed.

All that was left was to negotiate the exit.

"Even though the allegations against him occurred at LSU, we take these matters very seriously at KU," Long said Friday in announcing he had placed Miles on administrative leave while Kansas conducted a "full review."

Miles' longtime attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said last week that the reports didn't say what people thought they did and accused Kansas of bowing to “media blowback.”

“Taylor Porter concluded that coach Miles did not engage in any conduct that constituted sexual harassment and that there were no grounds to discipline coach Miles,” Ginsberg said in a statement Saturday. “Now, eight years later, LSU, in the wake of enormous pressure from the NCAA for conduct that has nothing to do with coach Miles, issued a report conducted by Husch Blackwell.

“(Husch Blackwell) second-guessed the Taylor Porter findings and conclusions without any basis for doing so.”

That mischaracterizes what was in the reports. And what was in the reports proved to be too much to ignore.

Ginsberg did not respond to a request for further comment from USA TODAY.

According to Husch Blackwell, which was hired in November to review LSU's handling of sexual misconduct cases, the school “chronicled significant alleged misconduct” by Miles from 2009 on, including attempts to sexualize the staff of students working for the LSU football team in 2012. Miles allegedly demanded “blondes with big boobs” and “pretty girls.”

The team’s longtime director of football recruiting, Sharon Lewis, reported in 2019 “significant alleged misconduct” by Miles spanning nearly seven years, beginning in 2009. Lewis’ report to the deputy Title IX coordinator included Miles’ comments about his preferred “look” for female student workers and said he took a more direct role in the hiring of those student workers after losing the 2012 national championship game.

The investigation by Taylor Porter in 2013 was prompted by a complaint from a student who said Miles kissed her twice after suggesting “they go to a hotel together and mentioned his condo as another meeting place. He also complimented her on her appearance and said he was attracted to her.” Miles denied the accusation.

Even if they were to accept Miles’ version of events, Taylor Porter investigators wrote, “it appears that he has shown poor judgment.”

Rough waters at LSU:AD wanted to fire Les Miles in 2013 for misconduct. The school didn't act.

The University of Kansas and coach Les Miles announced his departure. “This is certainly a difficult day for me and for my family," Miles said.

The incident so concerned then-athletic director Joe Alleva that he urged LSU to fire Miles in 2013. Alleva had barred Miles from being alone with student workers.

“I want us to think about which scenario is worse for LSU. Explaining why we let him go or explaining why we let him stay,” Alleva wrote in an email June 2013 to then-LSU President F. King Alexander and the school’s general counsel. “I think we have cause. I specifically told him not to text, call or be alone with any student workers and he obviously didn’t listen. I know there are many possible outcomes and much risk either way, but I believe it is in the best interest in the long run to make a break.”

Miles remained at LSU until 2016, when he was fired after a 2-2 start.

Alexander, now the president at Oregon State University, said in a letter to that school's community Monday that he regrets LSU not acting sooner.

"The results of the initial inquiry into coach Miles were inconsistent with my and LSU's community values and should have been acted on further," Alexander wrote. "In hindsight, beyond limitations that were put into place between the coach and students, I now regret that we did not take stronger action earlier against coach Miles, including suspension leading to further investigation and dismissal for violations of university policy."

Kansas said it was unaware of the allegations against Miles at LSU when it hired him in 2018, and Long said Friday the school saw the reports detailing them only when they were released to the public last week.

“I am extremely disappointed for our university, fans and everyone involved with our football program," Long said Monday night. "There is a lot of young talent on this football team, and I have no doubt we will identify the right individual to lead this program. We will begin the search for a new head coach immediately with an outside firm to assist in this process. We need to win football games, and that is exactly what we’re going to do.”

For Miles, the future is murkier. Dubbed the "Mad Hatter" and celebrated for his gutsy fourth-down calls, eccentric news conferences and goofy antics, including eating pieces of grass during games, he won the national title in 2007 and was The Associated Press National Coach of the Year in 2011. But he was 3-18 in two seasons at Kansas, and will forever be tainted by the LSU allegations.

"This is certainly a difficult day for me and for my family," Miles said Monday night. "I love this university and the young men in our football program. I have truly enjoyed being the head coach at KU."

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