LSU Coach Brian Kelly Testifies As Witness In Sexual Harassment Lawsuit By Fired Employee Vs. LSU On Eve Of National Signing Day

BATON ROUGE, La. - While every other major college football coach in the country made final preparations and plans the day before one of the biggest days of the year (national signing day Wednesday), LSU coach Brian Kelly found himself in a federal courtroom on Tuesday.

"I'd rather be coaching football, but I understand the importance of this," Kelly said to an attorney representing fired associate athletic director for recruiting Sharon Lewis.

Then again, Kelly can't be too surprised. He learned very quickly when he became LSU's coach in December of 2021 that he wasn't in Kansas anymore. Well, actually, he never coached in Kansas, but he found out he wasn't at Assumption University in Massachusetts, or Grand Valley State in Michigan, or Central Michigan or Cincinnati, or even Notre Dame.

Fired LSU Assistant AD Sharon Lewis Suing School

On his first day, he learned firsthand of a frequently used phrase in these parts - "Only at LSU."

Former LSU associate athletic director/recruiting Sharon Lewis is suing LSU for $50 million in a sexual harassment suit. A trial started on Dec. 11 and is expected to end Wednesday. (Getty Images).

Lewis filed a $50 million lawsuit against LSU on April 8, 2021. She claimed LSU's football office was a hostile, sexualized environment in which herself and student female employees were routinely harassed and hit upon. Lewis reported some of this to her superiors, but they did not properly report the harassment and sexual misconduct claims to LSU's Title IX administrators, she claims.

Her lawsuit says then-coach Les Miles retaliated against her in 2012. She says this is because he heard of her reporting him to superiors for ordering her to hire more light-skinned black females and more white blondes with large breasts as recruiting student workers.

LSU fired Lewis in January of 2022 shortly after Kelly became coach in what Lewis claims is "retaliation." Who fired her remains somewhat of a mystery. Athletic director Scott Woodward testified last week that Kelly fired her, and Woodward signed off on it. Kelly testified Tuesday that he "terminated the position," not Lewis, along with approximately 40 other positions he purged in a routine program rebuild. Kelly maintains that Woodward fired Lewis.

LSU football coach Brian Kelly just concluded his second regular season as the Tigers' coach after leaving Notre Dame following the 2021 season. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

"I have never met Sharon," Kelly said last May 4 in his deposition for this trial that OutKick received through a public records request. "I would have a difficult time pulling her out of a photo album, quite frankly."

LSU's Brian Kelly Noticed Something Weird On His First Day

But on that first day at LSU for Kelly in December of 2021, he met Lewis' former office. This is when he first realized that LSU is clearly a different sort of place. And we're not just talking about the tailgating and how wild Tiger Stadium can be.

"Did you find out about Lewis filing a lawsuit against LSU from the media?," Kelly was asked during his deposition.

"No, I found out about it my first day, when we were going through the building and her office was locked off, and we weren't allowed to go in," Kelly said.

This apparently seemed strange to Kelly, who liked the location of the corner office for someone he had in mind for chief of staff. Lewis had been transferred at the time away from this office that seemed like it was part of a scene from Law & Order ... minus the crime scene tape.

"They were like, 'You cannot. That's off limits right now,'" Kelly said. "That's when I asked the question, 'What do you mean, it's off limits? You gave me carte blanche to come in here and do things, and this office is off limits?' That's when I was was brought up to date on the lawsuit (from Woodward and deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry). I was not given any information about Sharon Lewis at any time during my interview (for the job)."

This was Kelly's unofficial, "Welcome to LSU." So going under oath on the eve of national signing day might not be that big of a deal to Kelly now.

LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward At Odds With Kelly

There were more surprises to come that Kelly had to discuss on Tuesday. When he hired Frank Wilson as an assistant coach in December of 2021, Woodward, Ausberry, Board of Supervisors member Collis Temple Jr. and others did not tell Kelly of two sexual misconduct accusations by student workers against Wilson from when Wilson previously coached at LSU (2010-15). But they did suggest they hire Wilson. LSU's Human Resources office also said nothing of Wilson's baggage, which included a reprimand by the NCAA and former LSU athletic director Joe Alleva for a recruiting violation.

"I did not know," Kelly testified Tuesday when asked if he knew of the accusations against Wilson and the NCAA reprimand.

"I was cleared by HR (Human Resources) to hire Frank Wilson," Kelly testified Tuesday.

Then on March 3 of 2022, Lewis' lawyers released an updated lawsuit to include Wilson since he was now back at LSU. The update said that in 2013 Wilson "came into Lewis' office, closed the door and pulled out his erect penis and asked her to touch it."

Lewis says in the suit she reported the incident to associate athletic director Miriam Segar and Ausberry, and they took no action. The suit also states Wilson kissed a female employee without her permission that same year. Lewis claims she reported that to Segar and Ausberry, and neither took action. Lewis and her lawyers allege Wilson sexually harassed her and other female students between 2012-16.

At a press conference later that March, OutKick was the only media entity to ask Kelly about Wilson's alleged newfound background.

LSU Assistant Frank Wilson Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

"We consider those as being egregious and simply allegations that were unfounded," Kelly said. "It does not affect Frank Wilson and the person that we know. And we stand behind him firmly as a member of our staff."

Kelly's testimony Tuesday was consistent with that statement. And Wilson at the moment is and has been Kelly's best recruiter. Most of the players, particularly the best ones, who sign with LSU on Wednesday have been recruited by Wilson.

LSU assistant coach Frank Wilson is in his second go around at LSU, having previously been a Tigers' assistant coach from 2010-15 before becoming the head coach at Texas San Antonion and McNees State. (Getty Images)

Wilson also testified Tuesday as did Ausberry along with Kelly. And they all expertly used the same unified defense that Woodward and Segar showed last week - the Sergeant Schultz defense from the Hogan's Heroes television show:

"I swear sir, I see nothing, I hear nothing, and above all, I know nothing."

Well, someone is lying. Or both sides are lying. There have been numerous sexual misconduct claims by several former female student workers detailed over the last seven days of the trial in sordid and specific ways that do not seem easily made up. And LSU officials have said no to everything.

Wilson kept saying how much of a family man he was as he said no to the sexual misconduct charges. But Lewis' attorneys got Wilson to admit he has a child out of wedlock.

"I was separated," he tried to explain.

This episode obviously hit the jury hard as there were shocked faces.

Kelly's involvement is obviously very limited. He just got to this zoo called LSU.

Ausberry and Woodward obviously know much more. Ausberry did very well on the stand and painted Lewis as a constantly complaining employee who had problems with anyone who told her no, particularly white people.

Sharon Lewis' Lawsuit Has A Major Hole

Lewis also has a gaping hole in her lawsuit. She claims Ausberry and Segar did nothing with her reports of sexual harassment of her and her student workers. Yet, one former female recruiting student worker said Lewis did nothing when she informed Lewis of sexual harassment against her.

Segar, meanwhile, couldn't decide what her role with Title IX was. Just minutes after explaining her duties as an option for people to report Title IX issues to and her detailed experience in that job, she said, "I don't work with Title IX. I never worked for Title IX."

Sometimes it is hard keeping a story straight when lies are involved.

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward (right) with new football coach Brian Kelly (center) on Dec. 1, 2021, in Baton Rouge. LSU president William Tate at left. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Woodward was LSU's biggest embarrassment on the stand, particularly since he holds the highest office in LSU's athletic department as AD, or zookeeper.

LSU AD Scott Woodward Disrespectful On Witness Stand

He called the comprehensive report by the Husch Blackwell law firm in 2021 on LSU's voluminous sexual assault reporting issues as "very flawed." But when asked repeatedly for examples of that, he came up with zero. Lewis' lawyers then revealed a letter written by Woodward and released on the LSU sports website when the Husch Blackwell report was released. Woodward's letter praised report and said that everyone should read it.

Yet, Woodward testified he never actually read it.

Judge Susie Morgan had to tell him to stop his dissertation on Wilson's talent as a coach and "to stick to the questions." He later took a shot at her by saying disrespectfully, "I would answer that question, but I can't because how do I answer it when the judge said not to elaborate? What am I supposed to do?"

He continually talked back to Lewis' lawyers disrespectfully as well last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Woodward repeatedly smiled glowingly at the all-white, nine-member (6 men, 3 women) jury during his testimony as if he was the fraternity president at a rush party.

Finally, he made too much contact. As he exited the stand on Thursday, he signaled a thumbs up to a male juror. The juror responded by turning his finger in a circle by his ear and toward Lewis' attorneys as if to say, "These people are crazy."

Morgan immediately called for a break. And that juror was escorted out of the courtroom minutes later in front of a few reporters outside in the hall. He was then removed from the trial.

We will find out soon whom the now, eight-member jury considers to be lying the most and/or has the most crazy story. Closing arguments were scheduled for Wednesday.