SEC Open Thread

[Irish#1]

A VERY high level U of ND medical school official used his office computer at the school to look and exchange kiddie porn.

Never underestimate people's ability to be computarded.

FIFY

 

[Irish#1]

I would not be surprised if it was a money issue as well. There's a whole lot more going on there (which we already sort of know). Nutt's lawyer seems to be the one that found the escort number. By first account, it was one escort number, which could have been a misdial (as Freeze is claiming; 313 mixed with 818), and Freeze was free to not disclose the number to Nutt's attorney. Which all leads to: WTF is really going on and what juicy details are going to come out in all of this??

Side note: I can't stand Houston Nutt, but I hope he is successful in his lawsuit. Freeze and Ole Miss have genuinely dirtied his name. I hope they have to pay him millions of dollars for publicly and privately claiming virtually all the ncaa infractions are from him, when the reality is almost nothing is from him.

I believe the article said that when he claimed it was a mis-dial, Nutt's attorney's looked closer at the phones records and found he had dialed it on other occasions.

 

[T Town Tommy]

I would not be surprised if it was a money issue as well. There's a whole lot more going on there (which we already sort of know). Nutt's lawyer seems to be the one that found the escort number. By first account, it was one escort number, which could have been a misdial (as Freeze is claiming; 313 mixed with 818), and Freeze was free to not disclose the number to Nutt's attorney. Which all leads to: WTF is really going on and what juicy details are going to come out in all of this??

Side note: I can't stand Houston Nutt, but I hope he is successful in his lawsuit. Freeze and Ole Miss have genuinely dirtied his name. I hope they have to pay him millions of dollars for publicly and privately claiming virtually all the ncaa infractions are from him, when the reality is almost nothing is from him.

Way more to come out on this whole story. Freeze's personal life wasn't so personal. Rumors been out for a long time about his indiscretions. Freeze wasn't fired for calling an escort service. It's just the reason given by Ole Miss to try and lessen the penalties they are facing. This one isn't over by a long shot.

 

[irishog77]

Way more to come out on this whole story. Freeze's personal life wasn't so personal. Rumors been out for a long time about his indiscretions. Freeze wasn't fired for calling an escort service. It's just the reason given by Ole Miss to try and lessen the penalties they are facing. This one isn't over by a long shot.

Yep, not at all.

Ole miss is scared by the ncaa investigation, the Nutt lawsuit, or both. I think firing Freeze is an attempt to make them look better, i.e., when a school self-imposes some bullshit penalty and the ncaa busts a nut over it and then slaps the school on the wrist.

I also would not be surprised if ole miss has already begun their payoff campaign to buy silence and the Freeze ousting is just part of that. Disappointing for us, because then we will probably never hear a lot of the dirt we'd love to hear.

 

[dublinirish]

gimme sum of dem hugh freeze rumours/conspiracry theories please

 

[IrishSteelhead]

SEC Open Thread

gimme sum of dem hugh freeze rumours/conspiracry theories please

Flattering conspiracy:

HF was calling escorts and trying to help them convert to a righteous Christian lifestyle. He would read Bible scripture to them while condemning the career choice of turning tricks for cash. Two women are rumored to come forward and vouch for his amazing character and selfless nature to exonerate him. The man is a saint


Less flattering conspiracy:

HF started hiring hookers after the Peach Bowl a few years ago, and they would go to a sleazy motel where the woman would wear a headset and TCU polo while pegging his butthole with a strap-on dildo.

A source from the room next door said they heard Freeze scream over and over "thank you Mr. Patterson sir, may I have another?"

 

[irishog77]

Flattering conspiracy:

HF was calling escorts and trying to help them convert to a righteous Christian lifestyle. He would read Bible scripture to them while condemning the career choice of turning tricks for cash. Two women are rumored to come forward and vouch for his amazing character and selfless nature to exonerate him. The man is a saint


Less flattering conspiracy:

HF started hiring hookers after the Peach Bowl a few years ago, and they would go to a sleazy motel where the woman would wear a headset and TCU polo while pegging his butthole with a strap-on dildo.

A source from the room next door said they heard Freeze scream over and over "thank you Mr. Patterson sir, may I have another?"

Ah, the PIIH(is)B Theory

 

[BGIF]

I believe the article said that when he claimed it was a mis-dial, Nutt's attorney's looked closer at the phones records and found he had dialed it on other occasions.

OK, so he's a serial misdialer.

 

[NorthDakota]

Way more to come out on this whole story. Freeze's personal life wasn't so personal. Rumors been out for a long time about his indiscretions. Freeze wasn't fired for calling an escort service. It's just the reason given by Ole Miss to try and lessen the penalties they are facing. This one isn't over by a long shot.

This is the NCAA, i would not be remotely surprised if this was essentially over along with a slap on the wrist.

 

[Armyirish47]

I'm trying to find a reason to care, but I'm coming up empty.

The only real tie to Notre Dame I can think of is that Mike Norvell at THE University of Memphis will likely be a candidate with another strong season. That could theoretically open the door for Chip Long to make a triumphant return to The Bluff City for his first head coaching gig after winning a national championship.

 

[T Town Tommy]

This is the NCAA, i would not be remotely surprised if this was essentially over along with a slap on the wrist.

Gotta disagree. I think the way Ole Miss has tried to handle the investigation has been a comedy of errors. If they would have come clean early, I think what they self imposed is all they would have gotten with a few more light punishments added on to make it seem that the NCAA was playing tough. But the LOIC is what is going to do them in at the end. And firing Freeze yesterday only strengthened the NCAA's position that Ole Miss has no control of their athletic department.

 

[NDbrbkny]

and isn't 813 tampa? 313 is detroit and 818 is los angeles/san Fernando valley?

 

[BobbyMac]

You all remember watching the Ole Miss war room when they were landing Treadwell, Nkemdiche, Tunsil , Conner & an undervalued Evan Engram. If you didn't say Death Penalty at some point of the broadcast, you aren't American.

The NCAA investigators circled the date on their calendars and started filling out the paperwork immediately.

 

[irishtrain]

Way more to come out on this whole story. Freeze's personal life wasn't so personal. Rumors been out for a long time about his indiscretions. Freeze wasn't fired for calling an escort service. It's just the reason given by Ole Miss to try and lessen the penalties they are facing. This one isn't over by a long shot.

T Town wait a minute I'm not trying to be ignorant here but are you saying that you are on the inside more than Finebaum (who I think is a shill) because if that's the case all his support of this guy and the program has been a total marketing job and utter crime. This gets better (or worse) by the day. If what you say is true, and I don't think you would lie, then this guy is a idiot and scam artist for the sec. If this is know fact then Finebaum comes off like the worst spin artist in the history of the world and his credibility as a sports journalist is worth nothing. My word the guy has actually defended Freeze many times on his program to the point of belligerence to people who call in. Reminds me of 'Blazing Saddles' when all the leaders are sitting around and one guy says 'men we have to protect are phony baloney business boys'.

 

[NDbrbkny]

What you mean Freeze's personal life was not "personal"

 

[Ndaccountant]

 

[Irishize]

Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports actually saw the phone records a week ago and confronted Freeze & Bjork. That's when Freeze said it had to be a misdial. Reportedly it was a 1 min call that appeared once. Freeze had the opportunity to redact any personal calls so Forde did the right thing and gave him the benefit of the doubt while continuing to survey the story.

This led Bjork & Vitter to investigate more (they obviously had a strong suspicion) and found more troubling evidence that led to Freeze resigning immediately. Since that moment, every sports reporter in America has been chasing down what it was the Ole Miss officials found. It's a matter of time before it's a cover story at SI, ESPN, etc.

It's already expected that Ole Miss will have to forego another postseason game in addition to their long-term sanctions. Bjork only days before at SEC Media Days was defending Freeze's character and contract extension so the NCAA has ample evidence of "loss of institutional control". According to Bo Bounds (Ole Miss website), Freeze would not have been hired by Bjork given the choice. Bjork arrived after the Freeze hiring.

Bounds noted the NCAA investigation was completed & ready to hand down their decision. They're about to get hammered by sanctions and if the Freeze indescrections were program-related, it will get worse.

The crazy thing is, had Freeze & Ole Miss issued an apology to Nutt, the lawsuit would've never been filed. And the discovery never made. Granted, Freeze's personal life would have blown up sooner or later (they always get caught), so maybe it's a blessing for him b/c he has a wife & 3 daughters that he needs to reconcile with....what a betrayal.

 

[T Town Tommy]

There were rumors that Fla passed on Freeze as a candidate when they hired Jim M because they had apparently uncovered some personal info on Freeze that they didn't like. If Fla knew about Freeze's apparent indiscretions then why would others not know? That's a fair question.

 

[T Town Tommy]

T Town wait a minute I'm not trying to be ignorant here but are you saying that you are on the inside more than Finebaum (who I think is a shill) because if that's the case all his support of this guy and the program has been a total marketing job and utter crime. This gets better (or worse) by the day. If what you say is true, and I don't think you would lie, then this guy is a idiot and scam artist for the sec. If this is know fact then Finebaum comes off like the worst spin artist in the history of the world and his credibility as a sports journalist is worth nothing. My word the guy has actually defended Freeze many times on his program to the point of belligerence to people who call in. Reminds me of 'Blazing Saddles' when all the leaders are sitting around and one guy says 'men we have to protect are phony baloney business boys'.

I am surely not on the inside of anything. But the rumors on Freeze have been out there for a good while. I wouldn't be so quick to jump on Paul F because of his past defense of Freeze however. Finebaum isn't going to put something like that out there if he has no proof. While we can discus rumors, innuendo, etc. without fear of reprisal, people like Finebaum can't.

 

[arrowryan]

This is my theory on the Freeze/Ole Miss situation:

Like Crusader mentioned, remember when Ole Miss landed all of those highly touted recruits like 4 years ago and they were still landing them after that? I think the escort service phone calls are the tip of the iceberg of a massive recruiting violation(s) that could end up resulting in the death penalty. Those phone calls were made for pleasing recruits. The combination of prostitutes, money, and whatever else they offered Treadwell, Nkemdiche, Tunsil, Conner, etc. is going to this school in some really, really deep shit.

 

[Irishize]

I think Freeze is a microcosm of a bigger issue in big-time CFB football. You take young coaches in a matter of a few years from the high school ranks to major FBS college programs & the millions of $ that come with it, there will be some that can't handle the power & money that are at their fingertips that quickly.

Freeze, Briles & Malzahn all went from high school coaches to FBS P5 HC in a matter of a few years. Lane Kiffin went from one of Pete Carroll's assistants to the HC of the Oakland Raiders in the blink of an eye. Urban Meyer had a meteoric rise en route to Florida before having his personal issues. He "stepped away" just in time to save his career IMO.

Definitely not excusing Freeze's actions, but I think CFB ADs are going to rethink the High School phenom HC who has only had a cup of coffee in the lower college ranks,

 

[T Town Tommy]

This is my theory on the Freeze/Ole Miss situation:

Like Crusader mentioned, remember when Ole Miss landed all of those highly touted recruits like 4 years ago and they were still landing them after that? I think the escort service phone calls are the tip of the iceberg of a massive recruiting violation(s) that could end up resulting in the death penalty. Those phone calls were made for pleasing recruits. The combination of prostitutes, money, and whatever else they offered Treadwell, Nkemdiche, Tunsil, Conner, etc. is going to this school in some really, really deep shit.

I'm not quite ready to say the phone call or phone calls were made on behalf of recruits. Here's why. Nutt's attorney only asked for very few days of records. Within those days there was one call to an escort service registering one minute. The call could have been 15 seconds for all we know. Cell phone billing info usually rounds up to the next minute so a 15 second call can show as one minute on a bill. Is it plausible that Ole Miss found other calls to escort agencies outside the timeframe of the Nutt attorney request? Possible. But my opinion is they found other info that implicated Freeze in wrongdoing that he had previously denied to Ole Miss and/or the NCAA. Could it be more escort service numbers for either Freeze or recruits? If so that would go down in the annals of CFB history as the stupidest thing ever done.

 

[Irishize]

I'm not quite ready to say the phone call or phone calls were made on behalf of recruits. Here's why. Nutt's attorney only asked for very few days of records. Within those days there was one call to an escort service registering one minute. The call could have been 15 seconds for all we know. Cell phone billing info usually rounds up to the next minute so a 15 second call can show as one minute on a bill. Is it plausible that Ole Miss found other calls to escort agencies outside the timeframe of the Nutt attorney request? Possible. But my opinion is they found other info that implicated Freeze in wrongdoing that he had previously denied to Ole Miss and/or the NCAA. Could it be more escort service numbers for either Freeze or recruits? If so that would go down in the annals of CFB history as the stupidest thing ever done.

I agree.

 

[T Town Tommy]

This is my theory on the Freeze/Ole Miss situation:

Like Crusader mentioned, remember when Ole Miss landed all of those highly touted recruits like 4 years ago and they were still landing them after that? I think the escort service phone calls are the tip of the iceberg of a massive recruiting violation(s) that could end up resulting in the death penalty. Those phone calls were made for pleasing recruits. The combination of prostitutes, money, and whatever else they offered Treadwell, Nkemdiche, Tunsil, Conner, etc. is going to this school in some really, really deep shit.

I agree.

The sticking point for me is Ole Miss' statement when they held their press conference. They stated the Freeze termination was due to personal conduct unrelated to the NCAA investigation. They better be 100% sure of that. Are the rumors of Freeze's past indiscretions true? Did Fla really have the goods on Freeze a few years ago? Are there people at Fla responsible for starting the leaks about Freeze? Did someone tied to Fla point Nutt's attorney in a certain direction? If not why would Ole Miss fire Freeze for a call that could be rationally explained as a misdial? God knows they have defended Freeze up to this point for much worse. Nope. This story is long from over.

 

[Bishop2b5]

I have no doubt that Ole Miss and Freeze are guilty of a LOT of recruiting shenanigans, but why would the HC be calling hookers for recruits? That's definitely something he doesn't dirty his hands with if he has any sense, and let's an assistant or booster handle.

 

[BGIF]

I think Freeze is a microcosm of a bigger issue in big-time CFB football. You take young coaches in a matter of a few years from the high school ranks to major FBS college programs & the millions of $ that come with it, there will be some that can't handle the power & money that are at their fingertips that quickly.

Freeze, Briles & Malzahn all went from high school coaches to FBS P5 HC in a matter of a few years. Lane Kiffin went from one of Pete Carroll's assistants to the HC of the Oakland Raiders in the blink of an eye. Urban Meyer had a meteoric rise en route to Florida before having his personal issues. He "stepped away" just in time to save his career IMO.

Definitely not excusing Freeze's actions, but I think CFB ADs are going to rethink the High School phenom HC who has only had a cup of coffee in the lower college ranks,

Solid points except for Urban Meyer.

His "meteoric rise en route to Florida" took 21 years of which only one was as a HS assistant prior to becoming a GA at OSU. That's a common career track.

But Meyer was no Gerry Faust coming straight from HS nor Terry Brennan who had 4 years of HS ball and then one year as ND's Freshman Coach (JV) before becoming a Power School HC.

As a Division I head coach Meyer had 47 games under his belt before joining UF in his third Div 1 gig. Each stop BG (MAC), Utah (MWC), and UF (SEC) had increasing salary, recruiting demans, budget, level of competition, and national exposure.

Meyer had a solid foundation when he arrived and network of contacts across the country for recruiting and assistant coach selection something guys like Faust didn't have.

Meyer Resume
1985 St. Xavier HS (OH) (DB)
1986–1987 Ohio State (GA)
1988 Illinois State (OLB)
1989 Illinois State (QB/WR)
1990–1995 Colorado State (WR)
1996–2000 Notre Dame (WR)
2001–2002 Bowling Green
2003–2004 Utah
2005–2010 Florida
2012–present Ohio State

 

[Irishize]

Solid points except for Urban Meyer.

His "meteoric rise en route to Florida" took 21 years of which only one was as a HS assistant prior to becoming a GA at OSU. That's a common career track.

But Meyer was no Gerry Faust coming straight from HS nor Terry Brennan who had 4 years of HS ball and then one year as ND's Freshman Coach (JV) before becoming a Power School HC.

As a Division I head coach Meyer had 47 games under his belt before joining UF in his third Div 1 gig. Each stop BG (MAC), Utah (MWC), and UF (SEC) had increasing salary, recruiting demans, budget, level of competition, and national exposure.

Meyer had a solid foundation when he arrived and network of contacts across the country for recruiting and assistant coach selection something guys like Faust didn't have.

Meyer Resume
1985 St. Xavier HS (OH) (DB)
1986–1987 Ohio State (GA)
1988 Illinois State (OLB)
1989 Illinois State (QB/WR)
1990–1995 Colorado State (WR)
1996–2000 Notre Dame (WR)
2001–2002 Bowling Green
2003–2004 Utah
2005–2010 Florida
2012–present Ohio State

Yeah...good points. He can't use that excuse

 

[Irishize]

The sticking point for me is Ole Miss' statement when they held their press conference. They stated the Freeze termination was due to personal conduct unrelated to the NCAA investigation. They better be 100% sure of that. Are the rumors of Freeze's past indiscretions true? Did Fla really have the goods on Freeze a few years ago? Are there people at Fla responsible for starting the leaks about Freeze? Did someone tied to Fla point Nutt's attorney in a certain direction? If not why would Ole Miss fire Freeze for a call that could be rationally explained as a misdial? God knows they have defended Freeze up to this point for much worse. Nope. This story is long from over.

Did Florida have the "goods" on Freeze or just disapproved of his actions? For instance, Nd doesn't have to have "the goods" on a HC (ex: Chip Kelly) to eliminate him from consideration. I'm confident that if Florida or any other school had evidence of violations, it would've been reported ASAP. UF likely made a character judgement IMO.

But you're right about this being far from over.

 

[T Town Tommy]

Did Florida have the "goods" on Freeze or just disapproved of his actions? For instance, Nd doesn't have to have "the goods" on a HC (ex: Chip Kelly) to eliminate him from consideration. I'm confident that if Florida or any other school had evidence of violations, it would've been reported ASAP. UF likely made a character judgement IMO.

But you're right about this being far from over.

Agree. I think Fla's decision to pass was strictly character related at the time.

 

[arrowryan]

2018 CB Jaylin Williams decomitted from Ole Miss. I remember someone saying to keep an eye on him for ND if he decomitted.