BATON ROUGE - A higher-up with LSU's athletic department is removing himself from a committee looking to select the university's next president after being named in a report documenting university officials' inaction when it came to sexual assault claims.

An LSU spokesperson confirmed that Verge Ausberry removed himself from the presidential search committee after Thursday's meeting. Ausberry, the executive deputy director of LSU Athletics, did not provide a reason for the withdrawal in his letter to the committee's chairman.   

You can read the letter below.

Chairman Williams,

I would like to tender my official withdrawal from the LSU President's Selection Committee, effective immediately. I appreciate having had the opportunity to participate and, obviously, remain completely supportive of your most vital efforts, and will provide any outside assistance you might find appropriate.

Sincerely,

Verge Ausberry

Ausberry was named in multiple recent reports from USA Today documenting LSU's history of mishandling sexual assault claims. One report cites police documents saying an LSU football player admitted to punching his girlfriend in a text message to Ausberry in 2018. Ausberry allegedly kept that confession to himself, and it wasn't uncovered by law enforcement until police searched Drake Davis' phone months later. 

The reports also suggest Ausberry was one of at least two athletics officials who steered assault allegations against athletes to another employee within LSU Athletics instead of reporting them directly to the university's Title IX coordinator, which is required by LSU policy.