LSU pledged to take “appropriate steps” and that an external investigation into its mishandling of allegations of sexual assault and athlete abuse would be completed by February, interim president Thomas Galligan and athletic director Scott Woodward said Wednesday in an e-mail -email sent to the entire campus via the LSU portal. USA today.

Earlier this month, the school came under fire following a report detailing horrific mishandling of sexual abuse and assault claims against both current and former athletes. The law firm Husch Blackwell is conducting an independent investigation and met with LSU officials on Wednesday.

Terrifying allegations against LSU

A USA Today investigation earlier this month found that LSU consistently mishandled allegations of sexual misconduct made against both students and top athletes. The report named at least nine players who played for coach Ed Orgeron, including point guard Derrius Guice and winger Drake Davis.

Guice faces several charges, including multiple counts of rape. He was also accused of taking a nude photo of a schoolmate after a night of drinking without her knowledge and then allegedly sharing it with others. Davis was accused of abusing his ex-girlfriend, a former LSU tennis player, six times over the course of a year, including leaving her bruised and bleeding. LSU officials reportedly knew about the abuse but did not report it or help stop it.

Davis was ultimately disciplined and expelled by LSU in 2019 after pleading guilty to domestic violence. Only one other football player – Peter Parrish, accused of raping a woman in a car – was disciplined by the school. LSU reportedly withheld police reports, failed to contact accusers, did not contact them or completely ignored their claims.

The reports sparked widespread outrage on campus, sparking both large protests and even condemnation from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, who called for a “prompt, thorough and transparent investigation.”

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