This is why ADs dont listen to idiot fans
In January 2016, the NCAA charged Ole Miss with numerous recruiting violations. An investigation turned up evidence that Ole Miss employees and boosters arranged numerous "impermissible benefits" for players, such as car loans and cash. At least one recruit was suspected of getting help on his college entrance exam.
[21]
The investigation reopened soon after star offensive tackle
Laremy Tunsil admitted taking money from one of Freeze's assistants.
[22] In February 2017—three months after suffering its first losing season since the year Freeze arrived—Ole Miss withdrew from bowl consideration for the upcoming season. The move came on the same day that the NCAA sent an updated notice of allegations charging the Rebels with eight additional violations. Most seriously, it accused Freeze of not monitoring his assistants, and also accused Ole Miss of not properly controlling the program.
[21]
On July 13, 2017, Freeze's predecessor,
Houston Nutt, sued Ole Miss for defamation, contending that Freeze and school officials falsely blamed him for the violations. As part of discovery for the lawsuit, Nutt's attorneys filed a
Freedom of Information Act request for calls Freeze made on his university-issued cell phone during January 2016. Nutt's attorneys contended that Freeze and others at Ole Miss leaked information to the press as part of an effort to smear their client.
[23]
While reviewing those records, Nutt's attorneys discovered a call to a number associated with a female
escort service, and alerted Ole Miss officials about it. Freeze claimed it was a misdialed number.
[24] School officials investigated, and discovered what they later described as "a concerning pattern" of similar calls dating back to shortly after he arrived in Oxford.
[25] On July 20, chancellor
Jeff Vitter and athletic director
Ross Bjork gave Freeze an ultimatum: resign or be fired for violating the
morals clause of his contract. Freeze opted to resign; offensive coordinator
Matt Luke was named interim coach.
[5]
In February 2019, the NCAA punished the Ole Miss football team for the recruiting and academic violations committed under both Nutt and Freeze. The punishments included a two-year postseason ban, three years of probation, and a four-year ban on some scholarships. As well, the NCAA forced Ole Miss to vacate 33 wins from 2010 to 2016. As a result, 27 of Freeze's wins were stripped from the books; only the 2015 season was unaffected. His record at Ole Miss is now officially 12–15; it was 39–25 on the field
