Independent Case Archive
Documenting Kendall Francis's account, LSU's Title IX finding that a rostered football player was responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape, the university's decision to reduce his sanction on appeal, and the criminal investigation now underway in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Kendall's Story
Kendall Francis is a first-generation LSU student who asserts that she was sexually assaulted by an LSU football player on October 18, 2025, after going to a campus dorm to visit him. Francis has said she returned to her apartment in shock following the incident. She was later taken to a hospital by LSU Police, where she spent roughly seven hours. There, she underwent a sexual-assault examination.
In January 2026, Francis filed a formal Title IX complaint with LSU. Internal university documents obtained by WAFB later showed that LSU found the student-athlete responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape. The player appealed, but LSU upheld the responsibility finding. The player, who was undergoing a two-semester suspension, had his punishment altered to a mere four-semester disciplinary probation. This amounted to little more than a slap on the wrist for conduct so severe that expulsion should have been the only option.
Francis has said the modified sanction allowed the player to remain on campus and continue participating in football. She has described severe anxiety, depression, weight loss, therapy, and academic consequences following the incident, and has said she moved her coursework online because she feared encountering him on campus.
On September 14, 2026, Francis publicly told her story on TikTok. Eight days later, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore confirmed that his office had opened a criminal investigation and requested reports. They also plan to schedule interviews while preparing evidence and reviewing other records from LSU and law-enforcement agencies. No arrest or criminal charge has been announced as of October 1, 2026.
LSU has said it followed its Title IX policies and procedures and is cooperating with law enforcement. Francis says the university's handling of the case failed her and that she wants accountability both for what happened to her and for the process that followed. This is yet another example of a school valuing profit over people. They care more about their bottom line than student safety. They care more about protecting their star football player than protecting women. LSU is one more example of a toxic university system that must be dismantled.
Read the Full Case FileIn Her Own Words
Watch Kendall Francis's interview with WAFB about her experience and LSU's response.
The Documented Record
These official LSU records provide the policy, reporting, and institutional framework surrounding Kendall Francis's case. Select any document to continue to the full source entry.
LSU's official incident report for October 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026 documents Title IX and power-based-violence reports handled during the same reporting period as Kendall's formal complaint.
Read Document
LSU's Office of Civil Rights & Title IX submitted this report to university leadership under Louisiana's Act 472 reporting requirements for incidents of power-based violence.
Read Document
LSU's policy prohibiting power-based violence, sex- and gender-based harassment and discrimination, and sexual misconduct sets out the university's procedures for reports, investigations, hearings, sanctions, and appeals.
Read Document
LSU's annual security report contains campus crime information, sexual-assault policies, reporting procedures, and the university's stated coordination with law-enforcement agencies.
Read DocumentLatest Developments
Current Status
East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutors are investigating; no arrest or criminal charge has been announced.
Updated through October 1, 2026
Sep 30
2026
NBC News reported on Francis's account, LSU's Title IX finding, the reduced sanction on appeal, and her concern that the player remained on campus and could continue participating in football.
Read National Coverage
Sep 28
2026
State Rep. Vanessa Caston LaFleur said Kendall's experience raises questions about what happens after a university Title IX process ends and said lawmakers should study whether additional criminal or civil review mechanisms are needed while protecting survivor choice.
Read Legislative Response
Sep 23
2026
Francis told WAFB that the experience contributed to depression, significant weight loss, severe anxiety requiring treatment and therapy, and academic failure during both semesters of her freshman year. She said losing that first year of college was a major reason she decided to speak publicly.
Read Kendall's Interview
Sep 23
2026
WAFB reported that internal LSU documents showed the university had found a rostered football player responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape. WAFB also reported that the finding remained in place after the player's appeal.
Read the Documented Finding
Sep 22
2026
District Attorney Hillar Moore confirmed that his office had opened a criminal investigation. He requested reports, interviews, evidence, and other relevant records from LSU, LSU Police, Baton Rouge Police, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office, and other agencies with information about the case.
Read the DA Development
Sep 14
2026
Francis posted a public TikTok describing the October 2025 incident, the Title IX process, the effect on her life, and her frustration that the player was able to return after his university sanction was modified on appeal.
Read About Kendall's Statement
Sep
2026
LSU upheld the finding that the student-athlete was responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape, but modified the sanction from a two-semester suspension to four semesters of disciplinary probation without restrictions.
Read About the Appeal
2026
Date not public
After an investigation and hearings, LSU determined that the rostered student-athlete was responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape. The initial sanction reported publicly was a two-semester suspension.
Read the Case Documentation
Jan
2026
Francis filed a formal complaint with LSU. During the university's investigation, Francis and the student-athlete gave conflicting accounts about the encounter, including whether she consented.
Read the Title IX Timeline
Dec 9
2025
Records obtained by WAFB show LSU's Title IX office did not receive the initial LSU Police report until December 9, nearly two months after the October incident.
Read the Police-Report Timeline
Oct 18
2025
WAFB reported that an LSU Police officer initially classified the matter as a mental-health call and transported Francis to a local hospital. Francis has said she spent about seven hours there and underwent a sexual-assault examination.
Read the Initial Response
Oct 18
2025
Francis says she went to an LSU dorm around 4:30 a.m. to visit a football player she had met through social media and was sexually assaulted. The incident later became the subject of LSU's formal Title IX proceeding and the current criminal investigation.
Follow the Case in Sources
Mar 5
2021
LSU released an independent Husch Blackwell review examining the university's handling of sexual and domestic misconduct allegations. LSU's interim president said the report exposed serious problems in how the university had handled cases. Later remediation work called for continued monitoring of Title IX cases involving student-athletes.
Read the Institutional History