Less than a week in, we’re already into the ass-covering phase.

Shot.

On Saturday, Miles’ attorney Peter Ginsberg described Kansas’ decision to put Miles on leave as being based on “media blowback” and categorized it as being “disturbing and unfair.”

“Bending to the winds of media blowback, Kansas has now decided to put Coach Miles on administrative leave,” Ginsberg said in a statement. “Before the release of the reports this week, Kansas had been provided with significant information supporting Taylor Porter’s conclusions. KU also had performed thorough due diligence before hiring Coach Miles. Kansas’ decision to put Les Miles on administrative leave is both disturbing and unfair. To fail to recognize that a person’s career should not be compromised by unsubstantiated allegations hardly is consistent with the example an institution of higher learning should champion.”

Chaser.

Kansas found no red flags with Les Miles during what it claims were extensive background checks prior to his hiring in 2018, school sources told CBS Sports. Those sources defended KU’s vetting of Miles, who is currently on administrative leave after an LSU investigation that found allegations of sexual harassment by two women became public knowledge.

“We did background checks. We did all of those kinds of things,” said a high-ranking school official who did not want to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the proceedings and Kansas’ ongoing investigation. “We talked to people about Les and what he was doing. No one gave any indication of this. No investigations, no reports, no nothing. Zero.”

Kansas athletic director Jeff Long released a statement Friday noting this is the first time the athletic department had “access” to both an LSU in-house report and a third-party investigation detailing allegations against Miles.

Miles would not have been hired if there was any “inkling” of the information contained in the reports, school sources told CBS Sports.

Long and Miles became close when they were together at Michigan from 1988-94. During that time, Miles coached the offensive line under Bo Schembechler, while Long was an associate AD until 1998.

“[Long] did not hire him because he is a friend,” said a Kansas source, which insisted it was Miles’ coaching ability that made him the top candidate for the Jayhawks.

Yeah, sure, whatever.  Miles’ coaching ability has, for the time being, put the Kansas program on a 0-13 trajectory.  Truly vaunted.

As for those extensive background checks…

Relevant to Kansas announcing Jeff Long has suspended Les Miles: https://t.co/ZG4TYOxGy9 pic.twitter.com/WBdR9mY0kc

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 6, 2021

About all that’s left is for Long to say he’s never even heard of LSU.