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Awkward much? Hugh Freeze will reportedly join Ole Miss for hearing with NCAA COI
Published:
Despite resigning last week, former Rebels coach Hugh Freeze appears prepared to join Ole Miss for its upcoming hearing with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
Ole Miss Athletic Director Ross Bjork recently acknowledged the school had received the NCAA’s response to the program’s defense last week, which will be made public in the coming days. With the responses from both parties officially filed, the hearing with the Committee on Infractions is the next step in the process. The date of the hearing has not been set but is expected to take place within the next six to eight weeks.
According to Chuck Rounsaville of The Ole Miss Spirit, despite no longer being the football program’s leader, Freeze will attend the hearing with Ole Miss.
Some have asked if Hugh Freeze will still go to NCAA COI hearing since he is not the Reb head coach now. The answer is yes.
— Chuck Rounsaville (@SpiritChuck) July 25, 2017
While Freeze no longer has a stake in what, if any, potential sanctions are handed down by the NCAA against Ole Miss, the former Rebel coach faces his own potential sanctions — the most serious of which could result in a show-cause. That penalty would effectively take Freeze out of the running for most jobs until the show-cause came to an end.
Considering the Ole Miss defense has long been built around the character of Freeze and the claim that the former head coach did not knowingly commit any NCAA violations, it will be interesting to see how that defense holds up in the hearing. With Freeze no longer associated with the program after being forced to resign without a buyout, following “a pattern of personal misconduct” discovered by the school, that defense is going to be tough to sell.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
