Hugh Freeze was asked about his legacy at Ole Miss on July 13 at SEC Media Days, and he tried with great effort to put a positive spin on it.
"I think with a large portion of Ole Miss people, they know who I am, but there's no question that it's been negative in some people's eyes," Freeze said. "I think you have to come to what I want my legacy to be, and that doesn't get to be determined (until) probably 20 years from now."
Freeze didn't have to wait 20 years. One week after those somewhat prophetic comments, Freeze resigned effective immediately. Yahoo Sports reported the school found at least one call from Freeze to an escort service from a school-issued cell phone.
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Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork said the school detected noticeable trends, saying, "Once we looked at the rest of the phone records we found a pattern. It was troubling." Bjork was asked at the team's Thursday news conference if Freeze is a "fraud."
“No one is perfect," Bjork responded. “None of us in this room are perfect. I think moving forward we have to respect how he resigned and we need to respect his privacy."
That's fine, but you can still ask questions about this situation. “How does that happen? How did Ole Miss let this happen? Why would Freeze think he could get away with it?" Seriously, the school dug in behind the coach through a prolonged NCAA investigation, and Freeze gave them this embarrassment in return? That "large portion of Ole Miss people" had to dwindle given the latest news, leaving Matt Luke as the interim coach to help clean up what is sure to be a mess as the rest of that NCAA investigation plays out.
It's not going to play out favorably. Remember, Ole Miss has two previous bowl bans from when they were put on probation from 1988-89 and again from 1994-98. Self-imposed penalties — including a bowl ban — and Freeze's resignation likely won't appease the NCAA. Freeze's legacy will always be tied to imagery instead of accomplishments.
Sure, the Rebels enjoyed success in the form of a 27-12 record from 2013-15, a Sugar Bowl victory and back-to-back victories against Alabama. But the stigma of a postseason ban for the 2017 season will overpower that. The Rebels built that success on a five-star recruiting class that included 2016 first-round picks Robert Nkemdiche, Laquon Treadwell and Laremy Tunsil. That’s undone by the imagery of Tunsil in a gasmask and the debacle that unfolded at the NFL Draft in Chicago.
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Then there’s Freeze, who should have been remembered as a coach with an offensive scheme that could give anybody fits in the SEC.
Instead, it will be the image of Freeze saying, “Nah" and walking out after a question that will be remembered. So will the annual uncomfortable addresses at SEC Media Days; the last one began with a 2,773-word filibuster to duck some more of those questions in the aftermath of an ill-timed defamation lawsuit by former Rebels coach Houston Nutt. And now the final straw might involve an escort service?
That’s the worst possible ending. How does that happen? Freeze let Ole Miss down. No, he's not perfect. Nobody is, but you can't make that many mistakes in the crosshairs.
"I can only go on the facts," Bjork said at the news conference. "That's how we made the decision. We tried to take the emotional part of this."
Ole Miss gave Freeze more leash because of the almighty W, and when those pile up you think you get away with anything. Freeze was the latest FBS coach to think he could get away with it, and that’s not just going to happen in the social media age.
Some Ole Miss fans will always appreciate the success. That’s what the almighty W will do. Others will call Freeze a fraud, and until he lands the next coaching job, that’s going to be the label he’ll have to shed. Former Baylor coach Art Briles and Illinois coach Tim Beckman are dealing with that now.
The legacy at Ole Miss, however, won’t take 20 years to figure out.
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Freeze's conduct off the field undid most of what the Rebels did on it. He also spoke of accountability through adversity at SEC Media Days. It ended with reports of phone calls to an escort service.
"This is a sad day, it’s an unexpected day, especially for our players and coaches, and for our Ole Miss family," Bjork said.
But it's not that unexpected. In this case, a lack of accountability led to that adversity. The conclusion of the NCAA investigation likely will hammer that home one last time.
It's difficult to put a positive spin on that.
