Hugh Freeze, the new football coach at Auburn, formerly worked for Ole Miss for five seasons, when he was instrumental in the Rebels’ ascent to national prominence.
He departed Ole Miss, nevertheless, in July 2017 after an inquiry uncovered a pattern of the coach’s improper behavior. Freeze had a 34-15 record in his prior four seasons of playing for Liberty.
Freeze’s coaching career took off after years of success as a high school coach at Briarwood Christian, a private school on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee.
What Did Hugh Freeze Do in the Controversy?
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Ole Miss received two Notice of Allegations letters from the NCAA about occurrences on the field in the two years before the resignation.
In the first, there were 13 suspected rule infractions, nine of which were classified by the regulatory body as Level I, the most serious category.
The idea that Freeze’s use of a University phone to make at least 12 calls to an escort service off the field would be problematic was mentioned during a conversation between the University’s legal counsel and the attorney for former Ole Miss football coach Houston Nutt, who was suing the institution.
Freeze told ESPN he can’t recall placing that call. He claimed that he believed it was crucial to impart to the young men on their squad the lessons he had learned from both his achievements and disappointments, as well as the consequences of each.
After Freeze departed Ole Miss, former Briarcrest Christian students talked with USA Today.
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Three ladies who went to the Memphis high school where Freeze was a coach and was represented in the movie “The Blind Side” alleged inappropriate behavior. Using a Grateful Dead T-shirt in violation of the dress code was described by Katie Dalmasso. She alleged that Freeze coerced her into removing her clothes in front of him.
Has Hugh Freeze been let go?
Hugh Freeze, head football coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, made his resignation known right away before providing more information during a news conference.
Freeze used a phone provided by the school to make a minute-long call to “a number associated with a female escort service” on Thursday, according to Dan Wolken of USA Today. The call came to light as a consequence of a federal lawsuit Houston Nutt, a former Ole Miss coach, brought against the University, alleging that it had violated the terms of his severance agreement.
According to reporter Brett McMurphy, Freeze resigned after acknowledging the (personal) misbehavior, according to Bjork.
This occurred following a report by Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports on Thursday stating that Freeze’s employment was “immediately jeopardized” as a result of “explosive new information” that had surfaced.
Leaving the American football team, Hugh Freeze?
Freeze has led the Flames to three bowl victories and a 34-15 overall record in his four seasons as Liberty’s head coach. Before that, Freeze coached Ole Miss for five seasons. During that time, the Rebels won the Sugar Bowl, defeated Alabama twice, and spent two straight seasons ranked third.
Unexpectedly, he resigned on July 20, 2017, after an Ole Miss inquiry uncovered Freeze’s “pattern of personal misconduct”.
If Freeze had not quit, Ross Bjork, the Ole Miss athletic director at the time, allegedly would have terminated his contract due to a “moral turpitude” provision.
According to Jeffrey Vitter, the chancellor of Ole Miss at the time, Freeze’s departure was unrelated to a list of 21 NCAA charges the University received in February. A freeze would be required to serve a two-game conference ban as a result of the NCAA investigation if a team hired him before November 30, 2018.
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