Athletic Director Joe Alleva is in a great position to negotiate a separation that would be in the best interests of all parties.

First, he lets Coach Miles know that he has absolutely no support. After last Saturday, no one is standing in his corner. He is on his own. There is no ground swell rallying around him. To the contrary, what supporters he had seem to be abandoning him in droves. If this were the English Parliament, the reorganization would be going on now.

Know that Coach Miles, like all athletes, does not want to be known as a quitter. He wants to fight it out, and that’s admirable. However, he forces his family to stay here and fight as well. No man wants to subject his wife and children to daily abuse on his account.

Describe for Coach Miles the tremendous amount of second-guessing and finger-pointing that will accompany his every decision. The best outcome for anything he does will be stone silence. If he succeeds, others will be given the credit. If he falters, only slightly, he will be booed, hooted, harassed and harrumphed. It will be merciless and relentless.

Remind Coach Miles that if he does not leave town of his own accord, his legacy in Baton Rouge will be defined by the Mississippi Meltdown. Paul Dietzel infuriated the fans when he left for Army, but years later he was able to return in triumph and live out his golden years in Baton Rouge. Miles will squander his National Championship legacy if he stays around.

Coach Miles should be made aware of the possibility of firing for cause. He was, after all, AWOL on the sidelines at the most crucial time for his team’s future. If the CEO of a company can’t make an important decision when it’s needed, he isn’t worth much. Anybody can handle the controls when all is well. If the CEO of a company tries to manage without a plan, he can expect to get fired. If the CEO of a company can’t handle challenges on the fly, he can expect to get fired. And finally, if he can’t explain himself any better than Coach Miles has so far, he should expect to get fired. I’m don’t know if firing for cause has any merit. I do know that legal challenges can be long, ugly and costly. Most people would rather avoid such things. I suspect that the mere possibility can serve as a motivator.

This doesn’t have to be emotional and gut-wrenching. Like Tessio said in “The Godfather”, it’s not personal – it’s business. Whether he’s a good coach or a bad coach at this point doesn’t matter. He is not the coach for this program at this time. The overwhelming majority of the loyal fan base will wholeheartedly support such a bold move. The national press will wonder what took LSU so long. A bold move now will allow a new coach the best outcome to salvage the committed recruits. A bold move now will re-energize a demoralized fan base.

The alternative is to let this thing play out slowly and grind to its inevitable conclusion, still costly but after much damage has been done to the program. There will never be a less expensive time to make a move. For the good of the program, bold and decisive action is a must.