Kansas and head football coach Les Miles have agreed to separate immediately, the school announced late Monday night. Miles, who took over the Jayhawks program in 2019, was placed on administrative leave this past weekend after an explosive report came out last week that revealed he had acted improperly during women as LSU coach.
Kansas athletic director Jeff Long announced over the weekend that he has decided to place him on administrative leave, promising to do a full review to determine the next steps.
“I am extremely disappointed with our university, fans and everyone involved in our football program,” Long said Monday night. “There is a lot of young talent in this football team, and I have no doubt that we will identify the right person to lead this program. We will immediately start looking for a new head coach with an outside firm to help this process. We have to win football matches, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. ‘
Miles, who was 3-18 in his two seasons in Kansas, called the mutual farewell a ‘difficult day’ for him and his family. The terms of the separation have not been disclosed.
“I like this university and the young men in our football program. I really enjoyed being the head coach at the KU and know that it is in a better place now than when I got there,” he said. “For our student-athletes, I want you to remember that you came to play for KU and obtained a degree here. I therefore beg you to continue and build on what we started and all the things about it. “We talked together. There is a bright future for all of you and for KU Football.”
Kansas offensive coordinator Mike DeBord will continue to serve as acting coach of the program until an interim coach is determined, the program explained. A national search for a new coach will begin immediately.
Miles’ alleged misconduct at LSU surfaced after a Husch Blackwell investigation into Title IX issues at LSU, which set out inappropriate behavior, including sending an SMS to female students, bringing them to his apartment alone, which they makes her feel uncomfortable and at least once kisses a student and suggests that they go to a hotel after telling her he can help her career. The Husch Blackwell investigation also revealed that former LSU athletics director Joe Alleva Miles wanted to resign in 2013 for his misconduct. Miles continued to coach the Tigers before being sacked in the fall of 2016.
Kansas officials told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd that the Jayhawks had carefully selected Miles and that he had not received any red flags prior to his appointment.
“We did background checks. We’ve done all these things,” said a high school official, who did not want to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the proceedings. “We talked to people about Les and what he did. No one gave any indication of this. No investigations, no reports, nothing. Zero.”
Miles had earlier reached a settlement with a former student at the LSU athletics department while serving as a coach at LSU, according to a February report in the Baton Rouge lawyer. He denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Peter Ginsberg, issued a statement on Saturday in which Long’s decision to place Miles on leave was issued as ‘bending against the wind of media backlash’.
“Kansas’ decision to place Les Miles on administrative leave is disturbing and unfair,” Ginsburg said Saturday. “Not realizing that a person’s career should not be jeopardized by unfounded allegations hardly matches the example set by an institution of higher education.”
Kansas sources forced back against Ginsberg’s allegation.
“It was disappointing,” a source told Dodd, referring to Ginsburg’s statement. “He made a misleading remark in his statement.”