BATON ROUGE, La — LSU officials have begun meeting with experts from a law firm investigating the university’s handling of reported sexual and domestic assault cases.
In a published letter to members of the LSU community, interim president Thomas C. Galligan Jr. and athletic director Scott Woodward said the hiring of the Husch Blackwell law firm is aimed at “healing and progress related to recent allegations” about the school’s handling of such cases.
Galligan and Woodward said the findings are expected to be complete in February and released in a public report.
Husch Blackwell’s areas of expertise include federal Title IX laws that are meant to protect people from discrimination based on gender at academic institutions.
While the investigation will encompass all departments at the school, several high-profile allegations in recent years have involved members of LSU‘s football team, including former star running back Derrius Guice and former wide receiver Drake Davis.
Guice left LSU in good standing and was an NFL draft pick, only to be released by the Washington Football Team this year after being charged criminally with choking his girlfriend until she was unconscious.
Davis was suspended from LSU’s football team and ultimately dismissed from the university because of allegations of repeated domestic abuse committed against a member of the women’s tennis team.
“Accountability matters, and if Husch Blackwell finds that any wrongdoing was done by individuals or the university itself, we will take the appropriate steps,” LSU’s letter said. “We are confident that Husch Blackwell will provide us with the information needed to take the appropriate action, but we want you to know we will not sit still while they do their work. We are exploring immediate changes we can implement and other ameliorative initiatives.”