Why are they trying so hard to save the Savior?

[Pinto]

I can't figure this out so please help. Why is it so important for UM to save Freeze? Why is he bigger than the program and really the university?

[Tbonewannabe]

I think it is a negotiating tactic. He could guarantee the death penalty for probably a decade so he might have put his foot down about being the scape goat. He could probably name all the big boosters including their favorite son. How bad would UM deal with having to disassociate the one guy associated with all things UM?

[Dolphus Raymond]

My only guess is that Ole Miss is going all out to save Freeze because he is their only viable option to coach them through the probation/penalty period. Freeze, while not a great coach, is, in my opinion, a good coach. He is better than any coach that would take the job at Ole Miss now.

[Bubb Rubb]

No, they are going all in to save Freeze because they have to dispute the LOIC and failure to monitor charges. They can't argue against those charges and fire Freeze at the same time. Firing Freeze admits guilt.

[Quaoarsking]

My guess is that he's blackmailing them. There's something really bad that the NCAA (or the police?) don't know and Hugh is going to tell if the university doesn't back him 100%.

Otherwise the very obvious play is to blame everything on Hugh and hope the NCAA is lenient.

[Jack Lambert]

Because they love god.****

[BeardoMSU]

Because they love god.****

Yep, and they don't want to receive God's wrath for firing one of his disciples/prophets**

[MetEdDawg]

I think it's two fold:

1) Freeze is the one who can keep what's left of the network together without having someone else come in and learn the ropes.

2) OM and Freeze will learn a lot from this process, including how to do a better job skirting the system. Freeze's knowledge on this will be crucial while they rebuild their staff and administration involved in this.

[yjnkdawg]

I can't figure this out so please help. Why is it so important for UM to save Freeze? Why is he bigger than the program and really the university?



It may be because they have to support Freeze if they are going to challenge some of the allegations. Otherwise they would be agreeing with the NCAA's findings. It could also be because if he was terminated right now, he could probably cause OM a lot more problems with the NCAA. Another reason could be is the fan base has been infatuated with him. Another reason may be because he is the type coach that fits the network perfectly.

[starkvegasdawg]

They're caught red handed. They know it. The NCAA knows it. Everybody knows it. But their holier than thou ego won't let them admit what they did was that bad so they're grasping at straws trying to save something.

[Dawgology]

It may be because they have to support Freeze if they are going to challenge some of the allegations. Otherwise they would be agreeing with the NCAA's findings. It could also be because if he was terminated right now, he could probably cause OM a lot more problems with the NCAA. Another reason could be is the fan base has been infatuated with him. Another reason may be because he is the type coach that fits the network perfectly.

This is it. They can't challenge an allegation while firing the party responsible for the allegation. Catch-22

[BeardoMSU]

They're caught red handed. They know it. The NCAA knows it. Everybody knows it. But their holier than thou ego won't let them admit what they did was that bad so they're grasping at straws trying to save something.

I know it's OM, and we love to assume the worst with them, but this shit really blows my mind...that an institute of higher learning (with a fairly decent reputation, at least in the South) would go to these lengths, in the face of such overwhelming evidence.

I tell ya what, if that was our university prez, Cohen, and Dan in that 'hostage video', I'd be ****ing pissed....

There are some things more important than football.

[msudawg1200]

As has been said they have to for many reasons. Not protecting him is admitting LOIC which they are denying. Freeze was specifically hired to play his faux preacher persona as part of the cheating plan. The old"Freeze is a good Christian man. He wouldn't do that" was thought would keep the NCAA away. The part I don't get is why the Bears are saying Barney went rouge. Why would Barney keep cheating while Freeze kept telling him to stop? What was Barney to get out of cheating on his own? More money? If that's the case then someone in the athletic department approved the cheating, unless they say rouge boosters paid Barney to cheat. If that's the case then Freeze knew and didn't stop it. All he had to do was fire Barney instead of saying "please stop now". Either way it is LOIC. The Rebs are playing with fire.

[RocketDawg]

I know it's OM, and we love to assume the worst with them, but this shit really blows my mind...that an institute of higher learning (with a fairly decent reputation, at least in the South) would go to these lengths, in the face of such overwhelming evidence.

I tell ya what, if that was our university prez, Cohen, and Dan in that 'hostage video', I'd be ****ing pissed....

There are some things more important than football.

I'd be more than that ... I'd never give them another penny.

[RocketDawg]

As has been said they have to for many reasons. Not protecting him is admitting LOIC which they are denying. Freeze was specifically hired to play his faux preacher persona as part of the cheating plan. The old"Freeze is a good Christian man. He wouldn't do that" was thought would keep the NCAA away. The part I don't get is why the Bears are saying Barney went rouge. Why would Barney keep cheating while Freeze kept telling him to stop? What was Barney to get out of cheating on his own? More money? If that's the case then someone in the athletic department approved the cheating, unless they say rouge boosters paid Barney to cheat. If that's the case then Freeze knew and didn't stop it. All he had to do was fire Barney instead of saying "please stop now". Either way it is LOIC. The Rebs are playing with fire.

Is Barney known to be a die-hard Bear fan who would do anything to insure that his team wins? Could that be the reason? I don't think he is ... he's just an employee there. And I can't see him getting any monetary benefit from it all. There's no way he could have been the ringleader of one.

[Johnson85]

No, they are going all in to save Freeze because they have to dispute the LOIC and failure to monitor charges. They can't argue against those charges and fire Freeze at the same time. Firing Freeze admits guilt.

I don't think it's that. I think that Freeze was popular enough with people with pull that Bjork couldn't survive firing him (not clear Bjork could have survived regardless with three sports having major infractions), so the smart play for Bjork was to throw his lot in with Freeze. If UM had it to do over again, they very well might do it different, but their last shot to act meaningfully contrite was probably shortly after the draft night incident. Fire freeze (and maybe Bjork) then, submit some stiff self imposed penalties that are still south of what USCw got, and hope for the best.

Or maybe they looked and decided they would have to at minimum impose USCw level sanctions and decided they might as well roll the dice and hope for a Miami type screwup from the NCAA.

[lamont]

I can't figure this out so please help. Why is it so important for UM to save Freeze? Why is he bigger than the program and really the university?

Because no other coach will work hand in hand with the Network to get players. They know the Network is their only way to remain relevant in football.

[Reason2succeed]

When they pledged to be "All In" they meant it.

[Todd4State]

I think it's two fold:

1) Freeze is the one who can keep what's left of the network together without having someone else come in and learn the ropes.

2) OM and Freeze will learn a lot from this process, including how to do a better job skirting the system. Freeze's knowledge on this will be crucial while they rebuild their staff and administration involved in this.


That and they are probably worried that Feeze will roll on them like Barney.

[smootness]

No, they are going all in to save Freeze because they have to dispute the LOIC and failure to monitor charges. They can't argue against those charges and fire Freeze at the same time. Firing Freeze admits guilt.

This. They're going with the riskiest strategy with the belief that it also has the biggest potential reward, which is being able to deny the most serious charges, blame it on others, take their dose of penalties, keep Freeze, and not get hammered.

I do not share that belief and think they're going to end up with the downside, which is getting hammered harder because they still refuse to cooperate or change course.

[Mimi's Babies]

My favorite statement of the entire 2017 Notice of Allegations to OM:

Page 30: LAST Statement: Any additional information or comments regarding this case are welcome.

[MSUMatt]

Or he knows enough to sell out the university (Archie) to help his own show cause fight.

[Bubb Rubb]

I don't think it's that. I think that Freeze was popular enough with people with pull that Bjork couldn't survive firing him (not clear Bjork could have survived regardless with three sports having major infractions), so the smart play for Bjork was to throw his lot in with Freeze. If UM had it to do over again, they very well might do it different, but their last shot to act meaningfully contrite was probably shortly after the draft night incident. Fire freeze (and maybe Bjork) then, submit some stiff self imposed penalties that are still south of what USCw got, and hope for the best.

Or maybe they looked and decided they would have to at minimum impose USCw level sanctions and decided they might as well roll the dice and hope for a Miami type screwup from the NCAA.

Keeping Freeze, and even extending his contract, is no risk to Ole Miss. They already know that the hammer cometh. As long as they keep him, they can say that they believe in him and dispute the failure to monitor/LOIC charges. If the COI gives him a show cause, they can fire him for cause and not be on the hook for additional money. If they had fired him when all of this went down, they probably would have been on the hook for some amount of a buy out, and they would have been admitting that he wasn't monitoring or controlling the program. It's quite literally the last card they have to play.

They have to hang on to him until the NCAA rules. When they do, Ole Miss will have their out to fire him.

[Mimi's Babies]

That and they are probably worried that Feeze will roll on them like Barney.

Guess who knows where the evidence is buried...... freezus is going to roll them.....
Saunders, Vaughn, Kiffin and Farrar..... deserve there day in the NCAA tell ALL COI..... coming to a town nearest to you. Wonder if the SEC Network could carry this LIVE???????

[Liverpooldawg]

I think there may be a bit or MORE truth in pretty much all of the serious responses in this thread.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I can't figure this out so please help. Why is it so important for UM to save Freeze? Why is he bigger than the program and really the university?
Dan Wolken wants to know this as well...
http://amp.usatoday.com/story/102558976/

[DawgPoundtheRock]

As has been pointed out in a number of posts today, the strategy to retain Freeze was a high risk/high return gamble. The risk is that if the strategy fails and the NCAA sees it for the scam it appears to be and then nukes your athletic programs back to the stone age. The rewards could be dismissal of some of the most serious allegations (LOIC and failure to monitor in particular) and mitigating some of the others with corresponding reductions in penalties. The decision to follow this strategy must have been made early on in the process. They have followed it unerringly from the beginning.

A better strategy early on may have been to fire the entire athletic department, plead guilty to the first NOA and beg for mercy. In that case the NCAA may have only nuked them back to the dark ages.

Apparently, some adjustments were made to this strategy along the way. At some point they decided to throw Barney under the bus. This is the most glaring of their errors.

Regardless, I think the COI will see through the jibberish that is their response. Stone Age here they come.

[ShotgunDawg]

This. They're going with the riskiest strategy with the belief that it also has the biggest potential reward, which is being able to deny the most serious charges, blame it on others, take their dose of penalties, keep Freeze, and not get hammered.

I do not share that belief and think they're going to end up with the downside, which is getting hammered harder because they still refuse to cooperate or change course.


Because no other coach will work hand in hand with the Network to get players. They know the Network is their only way to remain relevant in football.

I mean, surely the NCAA realizes their complete defense is to save Freeze so they can continue to cheat?

If the NCAA realizes that, this is going to go nuclear