Oregon State President Alexander Resigns After Role in Les Miles' LSU Scandal

Matthew Hinton/Associated Press

The Oregon State board of trustees have accepted the resignation of president F. King Alexander, effective April 1, according to Eddie Pells of the Associated Press.

Alexander submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday as a result of his involvement in a sexual misconduct scandal at LSU while he was the school's president, per Kyle Bonagura of ESPN. Alexander was president at LSU from 2013-19 during a time when football coach Les Miles faced allegations of sexually harassing female student employees.

An independent investigation revealed Alexander knew of the allegations when he started his role. Athletic director Joe Alleva recommended that Miles be fired in 2013, but Miles stayed with the program until midway through the 2016 season.

Alexander left LSU in 2019 and became the president at Oregon State in July 2020.

Oregon Governor Kate Brown was among those calling for Alexander to step down after the latest details were revealed.

"In Oregon, we must hold our university presidents to the absolute highest standards for leadership and accountability," Brown said in a statement, via The Athletic. "Not only are they responsible for leading our academic institutions, but they also have a responsibility to ensure the safety of all students under their care."

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

The board of trustees placed Alexander on probation, but he will now be on administrative leave until his departure.

"I offered my resignation to allow us to move on," he said in a statement. "Students have and always will be my top priority."

Miles became the head football coach at Kansas in 2019, but the two sides mutually parted ways earlier this month. Kansas athletic director Jeff Long also resigned.