Ole Miss wants rival Miss. State players at next NCAA hearing
By Jason Parker
Ole Miss is still in the middle of a NCAA investigation — and now, the Rebels want to speak with two rival players over allegations they made.
Right now, there are very few places in the world — well, at least the world of college athletics — that people would rather not be than in Oxford, Miss. and on the campus of Ole Miss. It’s not personal, but with an ongoing investigation from the NCAA that has been going on for awhile and doesn’t seem close to ending, you can see why the area is pretty toxic.
With a hearing in front of the committee on infractions scheduled for later this year, the folks from the Rebels want to be able to talk to two players from, of all places, the rival Mississippi State Bulldogs. Based on a report from ESPN on Wednesday, Ole Miss officials seem to want a moment with Leo Lewis and Kobe Jones.
Both players made allegations that boosters from the Rebels paid cash ($15,000 for Jones) along with food, items, hotels and more in an effort to get both players to attend school there. Per the report:
"The NCAA previously denied Ole Miss lawyers’ requests to interview Jones and Lewis about allegations they made during the NCAA’s investigation of the Rebels. In fact, Lewis’ attorneys stopped the second of three interviews with NCAA investigators after Ole Miss’ lawyers attempted to cross-examine him. Ole Miss wasn’t allowed to have an attorney at his third interview."
Both players were given partial immunity beforehand from the governing body for their testimony against their now-rival schools. Attorneys for the players have said that the testimonies from both are completely true and the lawyers see no need for any questioning from Ole Miss.
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For both the Rebels and the Bulldogs, this is the latest in what has made an Egg Bowl rivalry more interesting for what is taking place off the field, including reports that it was a fan of Mississippi State who found the phone calls from former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze to an escort service that led to his resignation.