Miles sues LSU after vacated wins drop record below HOF threshold

Former head coach Les Miles is suing LSU for vacating wins following an NCAA infractions case, a move that dropped him below the eligibility threshold of the College Football Hall of Fame, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

Miles also named the NCAA and the National Football Foundation - which manages the Hall of Fame - in the suit, Rittenberg adds. The lawsuit said Miles was deprived of property rights to the vacated wins and his nomination for the Hall of Fame.

Miles alleged that LSU and the NCAA didn't provide him with "any form of due process" so that the school could avoid "more severe penalties." It also said that two of the three violations the NCAA found took place after Miles left in 2016.

"(LSU) promised us its help in undoing this injustice … (but) went back on its word, forcing us to take this unfortunate action of suing to regain Les' rights," Miles' agent, George Bass, said in a statement.

LSU vacated 37 wins in 2023 due to impermissible benefits that were paid to the father of former offensive lineman Vadal Alexander. The NCAA placed LSU on a three-year probation, and the school self-imposed a postseason ban in the 2020-21 season.

The vacated wins dropped Miles' winning percentage from .665 (145-73) to .597 (108-73). Coaches must have a minimum .600 career percentage in at least 100 games to qualify for the College Football Hall of Fame. Miles meets the other criteria needed for eligibility.

The 70-year-old coached LSU from 2005-16. The Tigers won a national title during the 2007 season and captured a pair of SEC championships. He also spent time as the coach of Oklahoma State (2001-04) and Kansas (2019-20).