Brian Kelly came to the defense of his assistant and former McNeese State head coach Frank Wilson during a news conference Wednesday in Baton Rouge.

Kelly, the first-year head coach at LSU, called the sexual harassment allegations against Frank Wilson as “unfounded” and “egregious.” 

Kelly named Wilson the LSU running backs coach and associate head coach. Considered one of the top recruiters in the country, Wilson helped LSU to the national championship in 2007 when Les Miles was in charge. 

Wilson was the head football coach at McNeese before returning to LSU in December in a deal that pays him up to $1 million with bonuses. 

Wilson has been accused of exposing himself to former LSU associate athletics director Sharon Lewis in 2013. That came from her attorney, Larry English, who made the claim during a radio interview last month.

In a report in The Athletic, Lewis alleges that, when Wilson was first with LSU as an assistant coach, he exposed and asked her to touch his genitalia, in addition to trying to kiss another female employee without her consent.

Wilson was named the McNeese head coach in January 2020 after four years at the helm at Texas-San Antonio. 

McNeese State officials have said they know of no instances concerning Wilson during his time at the university have refused to comment further. During the spring and fall seasons of 2021 Wilson’s Cowboys posted a 7-11 record.

“We know of no lawsuit that has been filed regard those allegations that were made,” Kelly said. “His (Wilson) status here is unchanged, and we consider those as being egregious and simply allegations that were unfounded.”

Kelly went even further.

“It does not affect Frank Wilson and the person that we know,” Kelly said. “We stand behind him firmly as a member of our staff.”

In court filings this month, Lewis stated that Wilson exposed himself to her and tried to kiss another female without her consent according to The Advocate newspaper. 

Lewis, who was fired in January, filed a $50 million lawsuit against the school last year. Wilson’s named was added to the lawsuit last month according to court documents.