Seems right that they would deny until the last second then ask for forgiveness since everyone sins.
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I have said all along, if Freeze coaches this year, the NCAA sanctions won't involve him. No coach has ever survived direct involvement in violations of this level.
If he is directly involved, and still is the coach, Ole Miss will get murdered at punishment time.
Ole Miss is bigger than Freeze. To save themselves, they will cut him loose if he is directly involved.
In my opinion, if he is still the coach in the next month or so, Ole Miss will get off a hell of a lot lighter than we hope.
This will be the biggest hurdle to face. IF they keep him, no matter the penalties, the ncaa will continue to watch them like a hawk. They only way to get them out of oxford permanently, is to get rid of the reason for the suspicion.
OM needs to implement their own show cause on themselves to prevent the ncaa from having to do it.
Freeze was laying the foundation for future excuses, as well as what the OM response would be when he stated ' I'm confident of how we're doing things within these walls', thus placing any blame on some rogue booster. I'm confident that the NCAA knew of some booster impropriety due to this statement. Then of course the Tunsil draft night exploded, and there's no room to reverse course. The 3 year investigation had to involve the questioning of the coach implicated in the texts. Of course he lied.
Now it's up to the NCAA to connect a booster to that coach. I'm thinking the coach is the one susceptible to some applied pressure when interrogation resumes.
That said, I expect Freeze to be the coach through 2016. I'd actually enjoy watching the players quit and the performance on the field completely collapse while Freeze is still there.
I hope Freeze coaches thru this season because if he does and has show cause type issues and the administration knew he did and kept him.... then oh sheit.... they are begging for the death penalty. The NCAA still may not do it, but no school since SMU will have come as close.
Please coach this season Freeze.
The last time Ole Miss had this happen was 1993 and they let Billy Brewer coach while the investigation was going on and then once the sentence came down they had to get rid of him in like July and then they had to use Joe Lee Dun as an interim head coach the entire season.
I don't think it will turn out quite like that, but my guess is Freeze coaches this season, then the sentence is handed down and they have to get rid of Freeze at that point. I doubt they will have to hire an interim guy again but it really depends on the timing of the announcement.
Looking beyond the firing of Freeze is the hiring of the next guy. Sanctions will have to be handed down first. They can't fire him now because nobody outside of a JV high school coach would take that job not knowing what the penalties are. I hate to make the comparison but their next hire will be their Rick Ray, except he'll be way less successful and less qualified, simply because nobody else would take that job. I hope they are hit so hard that their next coach puts a nail in his metaphorical coaching coffin by accepting the job. Fingers crossed.