LSU scrubbing Derrius Guice from record books, barring him from athletics program
LSU is removing former star running back Derrius Guice from its record books and barring him from any future involvement in the school's athletic programs, the Baton Rouge Advocate reported on Friday. A school spokesperson later confirmed the actions to ESPN.
Guice, a second-round pick for the Washington Football Team in 2018, was arrested on domestic violence charges in August 2020. The team cut him on the same day he was arrested. Later that month, Guice was accused of sexually assaulting two women when he was a freshman at LSU in 2016. He was also accused of taking a partially nude photo of a third woman without her permission and sharing it with his teammates.
These and other changes are a result of March's Husch Blackwell report, which cataloged the systematic failures that allowed LSU officials to cover up sexual misconduct accusations for years.
LSU cutting ties with longtime law firm
LSU is also firing its law firm of 80 years, Taylor Porter. The Husch Blackwell report found that in 2013, Taylor Porter only consulted with three out of 16 LSU board members to review two sexual harassment claims made against then-football coach Les Miles. At that meeting, the group (which also included the athletic director and associate athletic director) decided how Miles should be punished, and also that the entire thing — accusations and punishment — should be kept quiet. Miles continues to maintain his innocence.
On Friday, Taylor Porter was named as a co-defendant (along with LSU) in a lawsuit filed by an LSU employee. According to The Advocate, the employee claims he or she was "retaliated against for trying to bring to light the mishandling of sexual harassment claims."
“These are difficult decisions, and the board has tried to work to get it right,” LSU board chair Robert Dampf told The Advocate on Friday night. “We regret some of the actions we’ve had to take. But these are very complicated, fact-specific issues. They take time.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
