Les Miles sues LSU over vacated wins he alleges cost him Hall of Fame eligibility

Former LSU national championship coach Les Miles filed a lawsuit Monday against the school, the NCAA and the National Football Foundation, alleging LSU and the NCAA improperly vacated 37 wins from his tenure, rendering him ineligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.

Miles’ officially recognized win-loss record over his 18 seasons at Oklahoma State, LSU and Kansas is 108-73 (.597), which puts him just below the .600 mark required for Hall of Fame consideration. LSU offered to vacate 37 wins, which the NCAA accepted, as part of an investigation into the football and men’s basketball programs. It included a Level I violation in which the father of former offensive lineman Vadal Alexander received $180,150 from a booster who embezzled funds from a Baton Rouge children’s hospital.

Miles’ attorneys alleged in the suit that “the NCAA did not find that Miles, as Head Coach, bore any responsibility for the sole violation that occurred during his time with the LSU football program.”

Miles, 70, who won the 2007 BCS championship and played for another in 2011, was fired by LSU four games into the 2016 season, his 12th at the school. He was hired three years later by Kansas, where he went 3-18 during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Coaches can become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration three years after retirement, or immediately after retirement starting at 70. One of the schools he worked for would have to nominate the coach. Also, according to the Hall of Fame’s criteria, a candidate’s “post-football record as a citizen is also weighed.”

“He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community and fellow man,” per the criteria.

In March 2021, LSU released an investigative report from eight years earlier that found Miles acted inappropriately with female student workers, including inviting them to a hotel room or his condo, performing “unwanted touching” and kissing one student. AD Joe Alleva recommended firing Miles to top LSU officials at the time, but Miles kept his job for another three-plus years.

Kansas fired Miles a few days later.

Miles’ attorneys are seeking a declaratory judgment that Miles is eligible for College Football Hall of Fame nomination and that the vacated wins shall be considered as wins for Hall of Fame consideration.

When reached, LSU said they were not able to comment due to the pending litigation. The NCAA and the National Football Foundation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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