Fansided

Ole Miss football might have identified its scapegoat for its recruiting violations

By Derek Helling

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Evan Engram (17) runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Evan Engram (17) runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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The University of Mississippi is about to issue an official response to the NCAA allegations of recruiting violations involving its football program, and it looks like most of the blame could be placed on one former employee.

One of the best defenses against NCAA sanctions in response to alleged violations is to argue that the individuals who perpetrated the violations acted alone and have been dismissed. According to the attorney of one former Ole Miss football employee, that’s what Mississippi’s plan seems to be.

WEVV TV 44 in Evansville, Indiana recently published an interview with Bruse Lloyd, who is the attorney for Barney Farrar. Farrar held the position of assistant athletic director for high school and junior college relations at Ole Miss prior to his termination in December.

In the interview, Lloyd revealed that the university plans to deny most of the 21 allegations the NCAA has brought against Ole Miss. There are four Level 1 charges, and it looks like the school plans to connect all of them with Farrar.

Level 1 charges are the most serious of all NCAA allegations, and the NCAA ruling that even one of them are founded can potentially result in the dreaded “lack of institutional control” tag being applied to the sanctions. That would mean a substantial loss of scholarships, vacating of wins and other penalties for Ole Miss football.

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Pinning most of the blame on Farrar could strengthen Ole Miss’ case that over the five years that the NCAA has been investigating these potential violations, the school has taken sufficient action to correct the problem. Ole Miss already imposed some discipline on its football program with measures like a postseason ban. Historically, that has helped to lighten pending sanctions.

The timing of this interview is interesting, as former Ole Miss head football coach Houston Nutt recently threatened a defamation lawsuit against the school. While it looks more and more like Nutt wasn’t directly involved with most of the possible football violations, the timing of Nutt’s statement is almost in concert with the looming official response of Ole Miss. Nutt may have been posturing himself in case Ole Miss had attempted to make him the scapegoat for the potential football violations. In turn, Ole Miss may have turned to Farrar to kill two birds with one stone: not only does Farrar serve as a scapegoat for the football program’s alleged wrongdoing, but he also isn’t Nutt.

It’s possible that Farrar may have been most directly responsible for the alleged violations, and if so, then Ole Miss putting most of the blame on him is just. It’s also possible that Farrar may take similar action to what Nutt has threatened, and the fact that Farrar has hired his own counsel lends itself to that theory.

Either way, fans will have Ole Miss’ official response to pour over early next month. How much of the blame gets pinned on Farrar will become clear at that point, along with Farrar’s response.

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