Ole Miss DL DeSanto Rollins files lawsuit against university, Lane Kiffin

Ole Miss defensive tackle DeSanto Rollins has filed a lawsuit against the university and head coach Lane Kiffin, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich. He alleged he didn’t receive proper care from the university for mental health problems he dealt with last season and was kicked off the team recently.

Rollins, who was still listed as a redshirt junior on the team’s official roster as of 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday, is seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and $30 million in punitive damages with the suit, according to Dinich. He’s suing Kiffin for multiple allegations such as failing to provide equal protection and racial and sexual discrimination.

The university addressed the matter in a statement to ESPN, saying Rollins wasn’t kicked off the team and is still on his scholarship. Kiffin declined comment and deferred to the university’s statement.

“We have not received a lawsuit,” the statement read. “DeSanto was never removed from the football team and remains on scholarship. In addition, he continues to have the opportunity to receive all of the resources and advantages that are afforded a student-athlete at the university.”

Rollins has dealt with multiple injuries during his time at Ole Miss, including one to his Achilles in July 2022. He “suffered severe depression, anxiety, frustration, embarrassment, humiliation, a loss of sleep and loss of appetite” after the injury, according to the lawsuit. However, he said no one from the athletics department gave him any materials about mental health or any mental health referrals following the injury.

The lawsuit also alleges that in November 2022, defensive line coach Randall Joyner tried to convince Rollins to enter the transfer portal, but he decided to stay at Ole Miss. More than a month later, his grandmother died, and the lawsuit said he “continued to suffer severe depression” after that.

Rollins then met with Kiffin in late February, which is when Lane Kiffin allegedly told him he was moving to the scout team’s offensive line. When Rollins asked if it was a “choice or a command,” he said Kiffin told him, “he should quit” if he didn’t like it.

They met again a few weeks later on March 21 even though Rollins asked to meet sooner. He secretly recorded Kiffin — Mississippi is a one-party consent state, so it was legal — and a transcript was listed in the lawsuit. At one point during the exchange, Kiffin told Rollins he was “done.”

“Get out of here,” Lane Kiffin said, per the lawsuit. “Go, you’re off the team. You’re done. See ya. Go. And guess what? We can kick you off the team. So go read your f—ing rights about mental health. We can kick you off the team for not showing up. When the head coach asks to meet with you and you don’t show up for weeks, we can remove you from the team.”

After that conversation, Rollins “suffered physical pain and emotional distress and anguish,” according to the lawsuit. It also pointed out that if Rollins was kicked off the team due a “mental impairment,” it would violate the Americans with Disabilities Act because that would be considered a disability.

Rollins has only played in three games over his three seasons at Ole Miss. He is a former three-star recruit and was the No. 835-ranked player in the nation from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.