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SEC Football: NCAA COI hearing and impending ‘Doom’ for Ole Miss

By Ronald Evans

OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 29: Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze greets fans as they walk down the Walk of Champions in the Grove before an NCAA college football game against the Auburn Tigers on October 29, 2016 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 29: Mississippi Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze greets fans as they walk down the Walk of Champions in the Grove before an NCAA college football game against the Auburn Tigers on October 29, 2016 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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SEC football mascot, Bully
STARKVILLE, MS – OCTOBER 11: Mississippi State Bulldogs mascot Bully during the game against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on October 11, 2014 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Subplots with other SEC Football Schools and Big Dollars

There are subplots. Current Mississippi State player, Leo Lewis claims to have taken money from Ole Miss boosters, orchestrated by Ole Miss athletic department employees. He also claims to have been given other benefits from other SEC schools during his recruitment. Lewis will testify this week and the NCAA has granted him immunity.

Representatives of Mississippi State asked to attend this week’s hearing. The request was rejected. Ole Miss contends Mississippi State paid Lewis to become a Bulldog.

The most bizarre part of the Leo Lewis story is a claim by his mother that LSU offered $650,000 for Lewis to become a Tiger. There is no indication to date how the NCAA has responded to the LSU claim.

What exactly does ‘doom’ mean for Ole Miss

We can only offer conjecture. The NCAA final determination will not be announced for several weeks, maybe months. Our best guess is:

  • Hugh Freeze is a given a ‘show cause’ by the NCAA, that practically will bar him from coaching for a couple of years.
  • Ole Miss will lose an additional 10-15 scholarships, in addition to the 10 already self-imposed.
  • Ole Miss will get an additional post-season ban for 2018. A two-year bowl ban also carries with it a transfer waiver. Players could leave after the 2017 season and play at another school in 2018.

Those predicted penalties are less than a death penalty. But they will further crush the Ole Miss program. Recovery will take three to five years. Redemption may never come. “I reckon what I going to get ain’t no more than mine.”

Next: The Ten Best Tide QB's of All-Time

We will continue to follow this story as it plays out this week and in the weeks ahead. If the NCAA investigation has or does spread to other schools, there is no end in sight to the story.

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