Former LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles
Former LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles is suing the school over its decision to vacate 37 of his teams’ wins between 2012 and 2015. The vacated victories bring Miles’s career winning percentage from .665 to .597, just under the College Football Hall of Fame’s 60-percent threshold for eligibility. Miles’s attorney Peter Ginsberg said he isn’t seeking monetary compensation.
“We’re trying to protect that right that Les has achieved by his victories to get him on the ballot so he can have a fair chance of being elected to the Hall of Fame.”
The sanctions stem from an NCAA ruling that former Tigers offensive lineman Vadal Alexander’s father received financial benefits from a school booster violating NCAA rules. Ginsberg asserted there is no evidence or implication Miles had any knowledge of this, and the university self-imposed excessive sanctions including a one year bowl-ban in order to protect itself from NCAA punishment regarding the illegal recruiting practices of former men’s basketball coach Will Wade.
“LSU, in the blink of an eye, gave away what Les and those kids had achieved for no reason except for trying to protect itself and the basketball program.”
The lawsuit also names the NCAA and College Football Hall of Fame as defendants and comes only after a lack of action and communication from LSU. Ginsberg said he met with a high-ranking university official who promised the university’s support months ago before ceasing communication. Ginsberg said Miles’s cause is not a selfish one.
“Everyone should be aware that Les isn’t doing this just for himself but that those student-athletes, his staff, and his coaches earn those victories.”
LSU says it does not comment on pending litigation.
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