We have a reader submitted post. This could be distracting going into Ole Miss’s big game with Florida State.
Recent reports indicate that the NCAA has intensified their investigations regarding the affairs surrounding Ole Miss athletics by conducting a wide range of interviews involving many players at various schools playing in the Southeastern Conference. According to Pat Forde of Yahoo, several reports have pointed out that a number of investigators from the NCAA went to Mississippi and Auburn with the aim of getting more details from players drafted by the Rebels. The NCAA has also allegedly granted the players immunity to allow them to disclose their testimonies about the case. As scandals can affect online NFL betting, it can also affect what happens to the spreads in college football.
The NCAA investigators interviews mostly focused on the recruits that considered the Ole Miss Football program. As stated by Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports, the report also indicates that, this summer, the NCAA also visited an additional SEC West school with the main intention of having an in-depth interview with the affected players. Even though the players are immune from any form of indictment or punishment by the NCAA, they will have to give candid accounts of the story. However, officials from Ole Miss refused to give any straightforward comments on the issue. All they could say was that their school would take a softer line in providing the NCAA with all they require to carry out their investigations promptly.
For many years, Mississippi has found itself going through several investigations related to their sports. Towards the end of January this year, they were found guilty of violating 28 provisions governing three sports. These included 13 violations in football, and the rest of them pertaining to women’s basketball as well as track and field events. Out of the 28 alleged violations, nine of them took place during the reign of Hugh Freeze, the present coach, who so far has spent four seasons in Oxford with a 34-18 record.
In January, the NCAA named Laremy Tunsil, the Miami Dolphins 1st round draft pick, in their notice of allegations. On the night of the NFL draft, social media accounts of Tunsil were allegedly hacked, which led to the release of many text messages to the public. Some of the contents of the texts exposed Tunsil requesting money from Ole Miss coaches in order to assist his mother in clearing her bills, which are incriminating evidence towards violating NCAA rules. However, the NCAA is yet to provide any timeline in line with the completion of the investigations.
Such developing stories in the current investigations could derail the plans of Ole Miss coaching staff, as they prepare their No. 11-ranked Rebels to face No. 4 Florida State on Labor Day night in Orlando for their season opener on Sept. 5 in Orlando. The investigation is still far from completion because the NCAA is yet to send a revised Notice of Allegations, which means the ruling could be passed through the Committee on Infractions in 2017.
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