Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin and the university are facing a lawsuit filed by DeSanto Rollins, a redshirt junior player, who claims that he was not provided with proper mental health care and was kicked off the team for taking a mental health break. The lawsuit sheds light on issues related to mental health support within the school’s football program.
Rollins, who is still listed on the team’s roster and played in two games last season, alleges that he faced mental health issues even before the 2022 season began. He claims that after suffering a concussion injury during the UM Spring game on April 23, 2022, which affected his ability to concentrate and caused severe depression and anxiety, he was not referred for a mental health evaluation despite the visible impact on his well-being.
The lawsuit also points out a lack of mental health oversight at the school and is suing the university and coach Lane Kiffin for failure to provide equal protection, racial and sexual discrimination, and multiple other allegations also alleging that Rollins did not receive any mental health educational materials and that there were no written institutional procedures for routine mental health referrals.
The situation escalated when, on February 27, 2023, Coach Kiffin informed Rollins that he would be moved from the defensive line to the offensive line scout team because he had not agreed to transfer to another school. This decision followed alleged pressure from defensive line coach Randall Joyner for Rollins to enter the transfer portal. During a meeting with Kiffin, Rollins decided to take a mental health break after the coach reportedly yelled at him in a hostile manner.
On March 21, 2023, in a subsequent meeting, Kiffin is alleged to have verbally assaulted Rollins again, suggesting that he wouldn’t have mental health issues if he continued playing on the defensive line. Rollins claims that he was eventually kicked off the team during this meeting.
Ole Miss Athletics has denied both receiving a lawsuit from Rollins and removing him from the team, stating that Rollins remains on scholarship and has access to resources available to student-athletes
