The Ole Miss response to NCAA Notice of Allegations is pushed back 30 days

[jbcarol]

Ole Miss originally had until Friday to respond to the NCAA's notice of allegations, but a party other than Ole Miss has requested and received a 30-day delay, athletic director Ross Bjork said. This is the first and only extension allowed by the process.

"This extension is an often-used tool available to all parties and the Notice of Allegations itself has not changed in any way," Bjork said in a statement. "Upon completion of the 30-day extension period, the University will release our full Response to the Notice of Allegations."

The delay likely means the entire process won't be complete until mid-to-late October.

Once Ole Miss submits its response, it and the notice of allegations are combined into one document presented to the committee on infractions, a process that takes 60 days. A hearing would then likely take several weeks to be scheduled with a ruling coming out about six weeks later.

The 30-day delay continues what's been a nearly four-year-long process that began when the NCAA started an investigation into the Ole Miss women's basketball program in 2012. The investigation expanded to include the football and men's and women's track and field teams.

The Associated Press has reported that 13 of the 28 alleged violations relate to football. Five of those are tied to former left tackle Laremy Tunsil, while ESPN reported four date back to former coach Houston Nutt's staff and four involve coach Hugh Freeze's staff.

Former assistant coach David Saunders, who worked under Nutt, received an eight-year show cause in January after the committee on infractions found that he helped five Louisiana-Lafayette recruits receive fraudulent ACT scores and lied to the NCAA, among other things.

Texas reportedly fired former Ole Miss assistant coach Chris Vaughn...

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

Ole Miss originally had until Friday to respond to the NCAA's notice of allegations, but a party other than Ole Miss has requested and received a 30-day delay, athletic director Ross Bjork said. This is the first and only extension allowed by the process.

Well, they can't stall on this forever.  Sooner or later, coach "Freeze" & Ole Miss, may get.... "thawed out"... before this is all over.   

[Inhogswetrust]

Well, they can't stall on this forever.  Sooner or later, coach "Freeze" & Ole Miss, may get.... "thawed out"... before this is all over.   

It's old miss. They have to wait to raise enough money for postage, put stamps on it, wait on the the postal person to come by every third Thursday of the month, get it out of the mailbox, and then lower the little red flag.

[jbcarol]

Parrish Alford ‏@parrishalford 1h1 hour ago

Taking a look at Tunsil's social media conversation and the NCAA's student assistance fund. http://insideolemisssports.com/2016/04/29/tunsil-comments-and-the-ncaa-student-assistance-fund/ ... #OleMiss @DJournalnow

What came to light last night was that Laremy Tunsil asked for money to help pay rent.

The response, presumably from John Miller in football operations, does not say that the money was given to Tunsil. It implies that Miller was willing to help and brings another football staffer into the equation. Tunsil said last night that money changed hands. I think he's a qualified source, so let's assume for the sake of this discussion that he's correct.

Now when all this is playing out in real time late at night with deadlines in play all questions don't get answered.

Stories like this tend to be days in playing out.

We reported last night that Laremy Tunsil said he accepted money.

That's all we could report from an involved party, because Ole Miss was not getting into the conversation.

I previously had a short conversation with Ross Bjork in the spring of 2015 when Fadol Brown needed help with travel money getting home after his family friend was shot in Charleston, S.C.

The NCAA not only allows schools to provide money to athletes during emergencies it provides some money for that in a lump sum to conferences. The situation described in Tunsil's social media conversation would presumably fall within the guidelines of this fund.

The NCAA manual says "The Student Assistance Fund is intended to provide direct benefits to student-athletes or their families as determined by conference offices. As a guiding principal the fund shall be used to assist student-athletes in meeting financial needs that arise in conjunction with participation in intercollegiate athletics."

The NCAA cites a few clear items for which money from this fund cannot be used, but it provides a great deal of leeway for schools to make decisions on how to use the money to help athletes. It appears that rent or utilities would fall within the guidelines.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/finebaum/status/726166350431932416

[jbcarol]

Ole Miss released a statement early Friday morning saying that it would "aggressively investigate and fully cooperate with the NCAA and the SEC," as it does "whenever an allegation is brought to our attention or a potential violation is self-discovered."

Ole Miss was scheduled to submit its response to the notice of allegations on April 29, but a third party requested a 30-day extension, the only one allowed, athletic director Ross Bjork said.

Five allegations in the notice of allegations revolved around Tunsil, who served a seven-game suspension to start last season after he received impermissible use of three loaner vehicles over a six-month period without payment and a four-month, interest-free promissory note on a $3,000 down payment for buying a used vehicle, among other things.

[TDHawgs]

It's gotten to the point that watching college sports is no fun. It's obvious they are cheating, and others have to get an unfair advantage, yet nothing will happen to them. In Hugh Freeze first year, after Ole Miss had a terrible season before, somehow got a top recruiting class, like they had never done in the history.  Yet, we are to believe nothing happened?    

[jackflash]

I am going to wait and see if the NCAA does anything here

[theFlyingHog]

I am going to wait and see if the NCAA does anything here

Like I've been hearing from other SEC fans; if OM skates on this then we might as well get our bags of cash out.

[LRHawg]

Like I've been hearing from other SEC fans; if OM skates on this then we might as well get our bags of cash out.

Exactly. NCAA has to do something now or it's going to lose what shred of credibility they have left.

[hobhog]

So a "third party" requested the extension? Who would that be?

[jbcarol]

Hugh Kellenberger ‏@HKellenbergerCL May 1

Hugh Kellenberger Retweeted gamblin rebel

They can release the NOA any time they want. Literally nothing is stopping them outside of themselves.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/DanielPaulling/status/728192596833619968

Kent Babb: Five days after one of his players became the story of the NFL draft, Mississippi Coach Hugh Freeze spent Tuesday playing golf and speaking at a church in southwest Georgia.

Some days, he said at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes fundraiser in Albany, Ga., are more difficult than others. A few of them lately, Freeze was quoted as saying by the Albany Herald, were like being "hit right in the gut with a punch from right field."

Around the time last week's draft began, meant to be a celebration for Freeze and three foundation-block but controversial Ole Miss players, someone later described as a hacker...

Almost immediately, the spotlight shifted away from the former Ole Miss player and onto Freeze, his program and the mighty Southeastern Conference —

Freeze, whose four years in Oxford, Miss., have been marked simultaneously by a stirring program turnaround and rumors of recruiting impropriety and an ongoing NCAA investigation, has walked a tightrope since taking over a wounded program in 2012.

Whispers have surrounded Freeze, who has improved the Rebels' win total each season, upset Alabama in consecutive seasons and last year reached No. 3 in the national rankings. How did he turn the fortunes of Ole Miss — which finished 2-10 in 2011 — so quickly? How did he lure three five-star prospects — Tunsil, wide receiver Laquon Treadwell and defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche — from out of state to Oxford after Freeze went 7-6 in his first season leading a major-conference football program?

"He's going to have some explaining to do," said Pat Dye, the former longtime Auburn coach.

[jbcarol]

unsil's dramatic draft night, which also included a video of him smoking out of a bong attached to a gas mask being posted to this Twitter account, caused quite the stir on social media and left many wondering what would be made of Ole Miss' on-going NCAA matter.

In his first media availability since the drama that took over the first round of the NFL Draft last Thursday, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said the school has "made a lot of progress" in its investigation regarding alleged text messages between former offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil and assistant athletics director for football operations John Miller.

The school is set to respond in late May to the Notice of Allegations it received in February, but that process could be halted if the NCAA elects to reopen the investigation against the Rebels.

"I think it depends on what the facts reveal," Freeze said. "We haven't even discussed the next step. You gather the facts first and then you'll know a lot more after that of what they are."

Parrish Alford of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported that the money Tunsil asked Miller for in the alleged text messages could be a part of the NCAA's Student Assistance Fund, which "is intended to provide direct benefits to student-athletes or their families as determined by conference offices. As a guiding principal the fund shall be used to assist student-athletes in meeting financial needs that arise in conjunction with participation in intercollegiate athletics," according to the NCAA manual.

There's also been scuttlebutt regarding the newsworthiness of the alleged text messages to people at Ole Miss and the NCAA.

The ongoing NCAA investigation, which includes football, women's basketball and track and field, is in its fourth year, and it's certainly conceivable that both Ole Miss and the NCAA were well aware of the text messages before they were released to the public Thursday night. However, Freeze did say he was not aware of the messages prior to the draft.

"I know nothing," Freeze said.

[jbcarol]

Hugh Kellenberger ‏@HKellenbergerCL  9h9 hours ago
The first question for Hugh Freeze is about satellite camps, because that's clearly the issue of the day as it relates to Ole Miss.

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

unsil's dramatic draft night, which also included a video of him smoking out of a bong attached to a gas mask being posted to this Twitter account, caused quite the stir on social media and left many wondering what would be made of Ole Miss' on-going NCAA matter.

In his first media availability since the drama that took over the first round of the NFL Draft last Thursday, Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said the school has "made a lot of progress" in its investigation regarding alleged text messages between former offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil and assistant athletics director for football operations John Miller.

Nope, nobody knew anything about it.....even the assistant athletic director that Tunsil was texting.   

Freeze says....."We have made a lot of progress in our investigation on the text messages"....

translation:    "We believe (hope) that we have now erased all the other texts & e-mails out there concerning our pay for play".....

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

Hugh Kellenberger ‏@HKellenbergerCL  9h9 hours ago
The first question for Hugh Freeze is about satellite camps, because that's clearly the issue of the day as it relates to Ole Miss.

Yeah, these satellite camps are perfect for Ole Miss.  They will pay any recruits that attend, & get them used to what it's like to be a football player at Ole Miss...

[tusksincolorado]

Ole Miss should had studied the SMU case before pursuing this course of recruiting tactics....

Or at least followed in the footsteps of their conference brethren Alabama and Auburn.

[DeltaBoy]

Yep they did it again,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CduA0TULnow

[ricepig]

So, Freeze wants any testimony under deposition to be sealed by the court and out of the NCAA's reach???

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/ole-miss-football/reports-freeze-asked-sealed-depositions-laremy-tunsil-lindsey-miller-case/

[tusksincolorado]

So, Freeze wants any testimony under deposition to be sealed by the court and out of the NCAA's reach???

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/ole-miss-football/reports-freeze-asked-sealed-depositions-laremy-tunsil-lindsey-miller-case/

Just plain slimy....

[Rzbakfromwaybak]

So, Freeze wants any testimony under deposition to be sealed by the court and out of the NCAA's reach???

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/ole-miss-football/reports-freeze-asked-sealed-depositions-laremy-tunsil-lindsey-miller-case/

Lol.  Coach Freeze has nothing to hide......but wants written questions only.   Not to have to appear in court....& all he has to say in a deposition to be..."Frozen"...from the world (specially the NCAA). Maybe he thinks he's the president ?     

[Pulled(PP)pork]

Am I the only one getting a spam site when clicking I that thread?  Locks up my phone, every time


PP

[Pork Twain]

I hope Ole Miss is hammered into oblivion.

[tusksincolorado]

I hope Ole Miss is hammered into oblivion.

Current odds are 7 to 1.

[jbcarol]

McCready: I'm tiring of some of the speculation and rumors surrounding the NCAA investigation into Ole Miss' program.

At some point, the NCAA's Notice of Allegations is going to become a public document. So will Ole Miss' response. It's my personal opinion that schools don't get the benefit of the doubt for cooperating with the NCAA, so they might as well lawyer up and fight like hell. However, I don't have a legal degree, haven't spent much time studying the minutia of recent NCAA cases and, most importantly, no one at Ole Miss has asked for my opinion.

If the sanctions are light, the strategy to stay quiet and cooperate fully will be proven to be a good one and all of the barbs from media and rivals won't matter. If the sanctions are heavy, reporters like me will ask about that strategy and fans such as those of you reading this column will be more than a little interested in those answers.

For now, though, no one's talking and there doesn't appear to be any aggressive investigation into the draft night accessing of Tunsil's social media account...

[jbcarol]

Paul Finebaum ‏@finebaum May 25

"The fact that Ole Miss has not released the information to me signals that it is worse than they are letting on" - @DanWolken

[ricepig]

https://twitter.com/ArRecruitingGuy/status/736206668925566976

[jbcarol]

Cecil Hurt Retweeted
Edward Aschoff ‏@AschoffESPN Jan 29

Ole Miss charged with NCAA violations in three sports but this was expected. Football not affected much http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14673673