A Louisiana State University student is speaking out after the school found a football player responsible for sexually assaulting and raping her, but reduced his punishment on appeal from a one-year suspension to disciplinary probation without restrictions.
Kendall Francis said the student-athlete sexually assaulted her on October 18, 2025. According to WAFB, Francis filed a formal Title IX complaint with LSU in January. The university found the student-athlete responsible for sexual assault and forcible rape following an investigation.
He appealed the decision, but LSU upheld the finding and changed his punishment from a one-year suspension to two years of disciplinary probation without restrictions.
Francis said she initially misunderstood what the Title IX finding meant for a potential criminal case. She believed LSU finding the student-athlete responsible meant criminal charges would be pursued. When she realized that was not happening, she said she decided to speak publicly about her experience.
“I was under the impression that because they found him responsible still, that LSU would do their part or that criminal charges were supposed to be pursued and that never happened,” Francis told WAFB.
Francis detailed her experience in a TikTok video shared September 14, saying she went to a hospital after the alleged assault and underwent a rape kit.
“That day basically changed my life,” Francis said, adding that she developed severe anxiety after the alleged assault, began taking anxiety medication and failed both semesters of her freshman year.
The Title IX process is separate from a criminal investigation. LSU allows students to file a university complaint, report an incident to law enforcement or pursue both. A Title IX finding does not automatically trigger a criminal investigation.
Baton Rouge attorney Franz Borghardt told WAFB that LSU followed the law and was not required to automatically refer its finding to police.
Francis said in a video shared Tuesday (September 22) that she went to LSU Police to pursue criminal charges. She alleged that officers dismissed her concerns and did not initially provide her with a file number.
“Sexual assault and rape should matter more than football,” Francis said.
The East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office opened a criminal investigation Tuesday and requested reports, interviews, evidence and other records from LSU and law enforcement, according to WAFB.
LSU said it followed its Title IX policies and procedures and will cooperate with law enforcement.
The student-athlete has not been arrested or criminally charged. The investigation remains ongoing.
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