Les Miles didn't take long to hit the publicity circuit after getting fired by LSU on Sunday. Miles spent more than 4,200 days as the Tigers' coach and didn't even wait 24 hours to address his dismissal, choosing the Dan Patrick Show for his much-awaited response.
Miles told Patrick that he was fired in-person by LSU athletic director Joe Alleva. He acknowledged that the time had long passed for "fighting" for his job, and his big-picture view of the LSU football program gave him the understanding necessary to take the action in stride.
"I'm for the Tigers. Anything they see that makes the Tiger better, I'm for them," Miles said. "I accepted that outcome and will support that decision and these Tigers as we go forward."
He also offered support to Ed Orgeron, who is now the interim coach, and thanked Alleva for giving Miles the opportunity to say goodbye to his team.
"I recognize in those decisions so many times you can see that it's not necessary that the ex-head coach says goodbye," Miles explained. "But they gave me that opportunity, and I did not stay long, but I wished them well. They deserve the best. I think Ed Orgeron will do a great job for them. and then I exited [the room] about as fast as I could."
Miles won two SEC championships and a national title at LSU but fell behind Alabama in the SEC West after losing to the Tide in New Orleans in the national championship game after the 2011 season. Dennis Dodd writes that LSU's move was necessary to get its coaching search out of the back channels and into the open, especially considering the attractive candidates.
Miles frequently referred to his career with LSU with a sense of pride, willing to look past the way it ended and relish the best moments from his career as the Tigers' head coach.
"Taking a team into an opponent's stadium and coming out with a victory -- if you're a competitive man and enjoy competition -- I don't think this job is hard, I think it's a joy."
As for what Miles does next, Les isn't sure there's a hobby out there for him to keep his mind satisfied (though he opened the interview energized from his morning workout). He spent much of the conversation focusing on his children and their college allegiances, noting that life without football would be tough. Judging by these instant reactions from Miles, it's a good bet he probably won't be out of the game for long.
"I don't golf. I play no tennis. I enjoy shooting the gun. I don't necessarily like to point it at animals. I play cards -- not very well. But what I have done for probably 12-14 hours a day for the last, I don't know, number of years has [been] coaching football," he said.
"I'd have a difficult time not being involved in the game and not coaching. ... Not coaching, I think there's always a 'Plan C' out there. I have a daughter and a son in college -- one at Texas and one at UNC -- and I can certainly find those games on the weekend because football is going to be a part [of my life]. I have a young son who is committed currently to a Big Ten conference team, a very quality one [Nebraska].
"Like I said, I think I can find something to do. But I enjoy football. I can't imagine that I won't be involved in some way," Miles said.
While there's a huge focus on "life after Les" at LSU, there should also be a close eye on what Miles does next. He doesn't plan to stay too far away from the spotlight, it seems, already working on a ticket from his son, Manny (a walk-on quarterback at North Carolina) to see the Tar Heels play at Florida State on Saturday.
It's unknown whether he'll entertain more interview requests at this time, but we might be seeing the beginning of a post-firing media tour that could rival Steve Spurrier's post-retirement circuit a season ago.