LSU Found Football Player Responsible for Rape, Reduced His Suspension and Allowed Him Back on the Team

LSU found a football player responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape through its Title IX process, then reduced his one-year suspension on appeal to two years of probation without restrictions, allowing him back on the team. The finding remained in place, and the case is now under criminal investigation.

LSU student Kendall Francis said she was sexually assaulted on Oct. 18, 2025, after going to a campus dorm to visit a football player she had met through social media. LSU Police responded after the encounter and transported her to a hospital, where she underwent a sexual assault examination.

The university said the football player initially reported the incident to campus police. An initial police report classified the response as a mental health call, and LSU’s Title IX office did not receive the report until Dec. 9, nearly two months later.

Francis filed a formal Title IX complaint in January 2026. After investigating her allegations and the player’s account, the university found him responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape.

LSU initially imposed a one-year suspension. The player appealed, and the university upheld the sexual misconduct finding but reversed the suspension, replacing it with two years of “disciplinary probation without restrictions.” The change allowed him to return to football.

Francis has said the player admitted during the Title IX proceedings that he raped her. His account maintained that the encounter was consensual, and his statements from the proceeding have not been publicly released.

Title IX allows universities to investigate sexual misconduct and impose campus discipline, while employees who receive certain reports can have duties to report them through the university’s system. Criminal charges require a separate investigation by law enforcement and prosecutors.

Francis said she believed the university’s finding would lead to criminal action. The Title IX report also records the player’s allegation that Francis accepted $1,000 from a family member in exchange for not pursuing criminal charges. Francis has publicly described the payment as an attempt to discourage her from doing so.

Francis went public with her allegations in September. A criminal complaint was later filed, and the matter was brought to East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore’s office for review on Sept. 22, 2026. Moore requested reports, interviews, evidence, and other relevant records from LSU, campus police, Baton Rouge police, the parish coroner’s office, and other agencies with information about the case.

LSU President Wade Rousse has said the university strictly followed its policies, procedures and Title IX process and is cooperating with law enforcement.

Campus sexual assault procedures have drawn renewed attention as universities face questions over how reports are investigated, what discipline follows and how campus findings intersect with the criminal justice system.

Louisiana state Rep. Vanessa Caston LaFleur has called for a review of what happens after universities find students responsible for sexual misconduct, including whether students are adequately informed about the limits of campus proceedings.

LaFleur said LSU appeared to have followed existing procedures. No legislation has been introduced.

The criminal investigation remains ongoing, and no charges have been filed against the player, whose name has not been publicly released.