Fansided

Ole Miss Rebels suspend assistants, reduce scholarships

By John Buhler

Nov 29, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze leads the Mississippi Rebels onto the field before the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2014; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze leads the Mississippi Rebels onto the field before the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports /
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The University of Mississippi released a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, citing 28 violations that include 13 from their Ole Miss Rebels football team.

The Ole Miss Rebels have committed 28 NCAA violations, including 13 stemming from their powerhouse SEC football program. Of the 13 violations committed by the football team, nine have occurred during head coach Hugh Freeze’s watch and eight are deemed to be at Level I, the worst level of NCAA violation.

While these allegations aren’t good for this on-the-rise SEC West program, at least athletic director Ross Bjork and the University of Mississippi are being cooperative in the investigation. Ole Miss will take responsibility for 27 of the 28 violations and will forfeit 11 athletic scholarships over the next four recruiting cycles, including four in both the 2017 and 2018 recruiting classes.

The University has also suspended three football assistants: Maurice Harris, Chris Kiffin, and Derrick Nix. Those three along with two other former assistants were mentioned in the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations.

Much of what Ole Miss is coming under fire for included loaning complimentary vehicles to student-athletes, providing free lodging to student-athletes, and providing student-athletes and their families with cash. One can connect the dots from the unnamed “student-athlete 1” to former left tackle Laremy Tunsil of the Miami Dolphins.

Rumors of these allegations have surrounded the Ole Miss program since the signing of Tunsil in their 2013 recruiting class. While five-star defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche wanted to play with his brother Denzel in Oxford and five-star wide receiver Laquon Treadwell of Chicago wanted to play right away in the SEC, Tunsil’s recruitment was always a tad shady.

Ole Miss should recover from these allegations and self-imposed sanctions just fine, as the university appears to be acting completely transparent and cooperative with the NCAA. That should go a long way when compared to the difficult Baylor University situation festering in the Big 12.

However, losing four scholarships in both 2017 and 2018 won’t help in the slightest during intense recruitment battles in the brutal SEC West. This helps the other six perennial bowl eligible teams in their division and hurts Ole Miss.

For more NCAA football news, please check out our NCAA football category page.

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