by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
After a year of intense scrutiny from Title IX victims & advocates, the national media, their own fans, community & alumni....in the wake of former championship-winning Head Coach Ed Orgeron's highly publicized collapse....amid the afterglow of former championship-winning Head Coach Les Miles being accused of sexual assault as well as other crimes, LSU Football needed a moment in which to turn the tables on 2 years of hell....preferably something public relations-related to really match the program's behind the scenes growth......and like absolute fools, prior LSU Recruiting Assistant Sharon Lewis and her attorneys coughed up that opportunity on a silver platter:
Following the state court's rejection, US Federal Judge Susie Morgan threw out Sharon Lewis' RICO charges against LSU's Athletic Administration, unable to prove any criminal conspiracy from LSU's athletic officials. In her state and federal lawsuits, Lewis claimed LSU's athletic department were seeking to oust her because she was preparing to "blow the whistle on Les Miles".
In fact, Lewis can't even produce evidence which proves she was about to unveil Les Miles' criminal activities until long after multiple former LSU hostesses publicly accused the former title-winning Head Coach of sex crimes; Lewis was only forthcoming with investigators concerning Miles or any other Title IX violations once she came under investigation herself (for allegedly playing a part in keeping a "shroud of silence").
Accordingly, Judge Morgan roundly dismissed RICO allegations against four different defendants, including current AD Scott Woodward, former AD Joe Alleva, Senior Associate Athletic Director Miriam Segar and Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry.
Now both federal and state courts have rejected Sharon Lewis' claims against LSU's Athletic Department and against three Taylor-Porter attorneys, with actual sanctions delivered to Lewis and her legal team......court filings state:
“Lewis and her counsel have consistently attempted to try this case in the media, as opposed to in court. Plaintiff should have never filed suit against the Taylor Porter defendants, much less falsely accuse them of engaging in criminal conduct.”
Over her 19 years within LSU Football administration, Sharon Lewis helped to recruit many of the greatest Tigers in recent memory, she was celebrated by recruits, families, former players, current coaches....she enjoyed a sterling reputation with both Les Miles & Ed Orgeron. "Miss Sharon" was an unofficial "fixer" and player assistant for the LSU football program for many years, working alongside recruiting guru and Running Backs Coach Frank Wilson.
But clearly, all wasn't right behind the scenes:
Lewis hurled accusations against Executive Deputy AD Verge Ausberry, claiming LSU's linebacker from the late 80s to early 90s called her "a bitch" multiple times and screamed in her face in front of other co-workers.
Lewis also claimed her career in college football was sabotaged by LSU's athletic department as a way to punish her, as well.
Could some of this be true, while most of her account exists merely as a "perfectly timed" embellishment for gain?
Maybe Sharon Lewis was mistreated....and then, perhaps she could've also taken advantage of the Title IX shitstorm hitting LSU, going for the craziest dollar amount anyone could think of....
Both can be true in a scenario such as this.....but can we really believe anything from Lewis or her lawyers at this point?
Due to her insider role, Lewis undoubtedly has key information regarding multiple legal cases, ranging from Les Miles to Derrius Guice, however she's seeming to leverage that knowledge for her own benefit rather than any solidarity with LSU's Title IX victims; & when she combined RICO with college football, her believability nearly reached Amber Heard-esque lows.
The sheer ambition of her desire to destroy LSU is really the most evident part of her legal team's strategy:
From the monetary demands ($50,000,000), her use of various media outlets (already frothing at the mouth during their investigations of LSU's Title IX offenses), the fact she brought RICO charges down upon LSU....rarely heard of outside organized crime investigations......Lewis even alleges she was assaulted by a co-worker.
Still embroiled in accusations against a former and current LSU Tigers' Assistant Coach, (allegations made after this coach's LSU re-hire), the court's trust in her wide-ranging claims against the University appears to be waning as fast as the public's reaction to Lewis' 2021 RICO filings.
While these developments do not exonerate LSU's athletic department for grossly mishandling Title IX cases for nearly a decade under both Les Miles and Ed Orgeron, it is the first time Louisiana State University's football program were able to finally create some legal distance between the silence of then and the culture growth of now.
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
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