Report: Hugh Freeze frequently contacted Ole Miss booster named in NCAA investigation
It was a safe assumption that the Ole Miss story had many more layers to be told following Hugh Freeze’s stunning resignation last month. The school’s administration failed to go into much detail regarding the case, outside of citing a “pattern of behavior” the school deemed inappropriate.
New revelations could constitute behavior that could possibly get any coach fired.
According to a report published Friday by Dan Wolken of USA TODAY, call logs indicate Freeze shared several hundred calls with Ole Miss booster Lee Harris. According to this report, Freeze is “not named or deemed culpable” in connection with any violations Harris may have committed, but the connection still raises red flags.
In the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations against Ole Miss, the enforcement staff has alleged that Harris provided Ole Miss recruit Leo Lewis with improper benefits in order to secure his commitment to the school. Lewis’ testimony to the NCAA suggests the same information.
Despite any improper benefits he may have received, the linebacker ended up signing with Mississippi State on National Signing Day in 2015. He is currently a redshirt sophomore on the Hail State roster.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions is set to meet with Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze, the NCAA enforcement staff and Leo Lewis for a hearing on Sept. 11 in Kentucky. The hearing has been given as many as three days to record statements from all involved parties. A decision from the NCAA’s COI is expected to be given six to eight weeks following the hearing.