Kansas AD forced to resign

Kansas athletic director Jeff Long resigned Wednesday, less than two days after the school mutually parted with Les Miles amid sexual misconduct allegations dating to the football coach’s time at LSU and one day after Long vowed he would lead the Jayhawks’ search for a replacement.

Kurt Watson will serve as the interim athletic director as the school searches for both an AD and football coach.

“We will immediately begin our search for a new athletics director. I will lead the process with the assistance of a search firm and four alumni advisors, each of whom have experience in collegiate athletics,” Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod said in a statement. “My hope is to have a new athletics director in place within the next few weeks.”

Girod said the new athletic director will take control of the football coaching search.

“I understand time is of the essence and that our football studentathletes are eager to know who will be guiding them,” he said. “But we are making long-term decisions on an athletics director and a football coach, and we cannot sacrifice the quality of a search simply for expediency. While there will be a lot of speculation regarding potential candidates for both searches, I urge Jayhawks to have faith in the process and in those who are devoting their time to assist.”

Long’s dismissal came a day after he vowed to lead the search for Miles’ successor, a move that drew significant backlash from Kansas alumni. It was Long who had hired Miles, his friend of more than 30 years, despite questions that ultimately led to his firing in disgrace Monday night.

The move also comes as the Jayhawks’ storied men’s basketball program, which is awaiting the decision of an independent arbitrator on what could be severe NCAA sanctions for rules violations, prepares to open the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday with the NCAA Tournament on tap next week.

“I leave KU with a heavy heart and profound confidence that I have always acted in the best interests of Kansas Athletics,” Long said in a statement Wednesday night. “I have done everything in my control to move Kansas Athletics forward in a positive manner; that’s what makes this most difficult.”

Long was hired by Kansas to help rebuild a football program mired firmly in the Big 12 cellar.