Here's the thing...

[drt7891]

There is not an OM fan alive that would say we "didn't cheat" to get Will Redmond. Not a one. And to be truthful, they are right (by the rules of the game). And as a result, the coach that recruited him was promptly fired, even before things became public. Ultimately, that was the biggest allegation. There were some nitpicky secondary stuff, but that was it. And we got called out on the carpet for it, by rival fans and media.

Fast forward. Ole Miss lied and lied about investigations, NOA, and the severity of penalties. They blamed the previous administration. The NOA is finally released and it is way worse than many of us thought it could be. Penalties that make our Will Redmond allegations look like a drop in the bucket. So why are OM fans NOT calling Hugh out on the carpet? Why do they still believe him? Why aren't in-state media sources calling them out for their lies and misinformation? Why did it take Steve Robertson and Pat Forde to break this?

I do not understand why people aren't putting the pressure on HF and his staff for answers. Any other coach in America would have to face some tough questions, yet HF gets a total pass from his fan base. It makes me sick.

 

[coach66]

Who's in charge at Ole Miss? I asked basically the same question you are here

yesterday. I am pretty sure Mullen and his entire staff plus Strick would be gone at this point. Their strategy was to blame everything on previous staff in hopes of
saving Hugh but that is falling apart by the minute.

 

[Chesusdog]

Cultists tend to have a singular mindset. They'll keep drinking the koolaid as their fellows drop dead around them.

 

[Shamoan]

the simple answer is that they expected him to do what he did....hell, it was probably a job requirement. what they did not expect was that he would be sloppy enough to get caught. if anything, they are disappointed that he wasnt slick enough to get away with it.

 

[DogStuckAtUM.sixpack]

*IF* he get's let go, it'll be interesting to see if the fanbase rallies around the new guy or will there be division among the masses.

 

[drt7891]

Until he starts losing, he won't be let go. Bjork will likely take the fall as a peace offering, but Freeze won't.

It's funny... And I know this has been mentioned, but many fans truly believe that all this is HF being persecuted because of his beliefs. I **** you not. With that kind of mentality, he will not be let go, even for this. His fan base will not call him on the carpet until he starts losing games. When that happens, you'll see that fan base to a complete 180 on him like you've never seen.

 

[TBone.sixpack]

Yep the douchebag hivemind on the Plantation would make other Cultists roll their eyes.

 

[tatedog]

Tough questions have to start at home. This is what happened in the Baylor case... local media all over it. National media can only do so much because in the long run Ole Miss is a nothingburger and just doesn't generate the clicks they need. And we all know they have the local media in their hip pocket.

 

[patdog]

what they did not expect was that he would be sloppy enough to get caught.

I still can't believe how sloppy and stupid they've been with some of this stuff. I can understand getting nailed on the ACT stuff. But if you're the head coach, you just can't have the booster go into the recruit's home with you. You can't have members of your staff arrange the free hotels. And you damn sure can't go around publicly accusing the guy who has the goods to bring you down of beating his wife.

 

[MarkDallas]

If Freeze was not 4-0 against Alabama & MSU the last 2 years, would he still be there after this scandal?

 

[TBone.sixpack]

Nope

 

[Rockydawg]

I know this is as German as Obama visiting Hiroshima, but allow me to put into the simplest of terms what we've known all along:

You only have to look to Auburn hiring a head coach in 2008 with a terrible 5-19 record. If you watched the pattern unfold with Auburn football (And we ALLLLLL did; Newtongate), then nobody knows better than State fans what really went on at Ole Miss: They "Chiziked" their program. Auburn set a new trend when they went "All IN". Ole Miss quickly jumped on the template with the reasoning that the ends will justify the means. If you can get your school a natty, get kids in the NFL, and do it without getting the death penalty, then who cares? Unfortunately for them, they didn't get their NC before they got busted. Still had 3 first round picks and a Sugar Bowl victory, though. It's all about playing on the weak character of high school athletes by offering them what they want and proving to them it's attainable... at ANY cost. And again: Take away scholarships, bowl games, etc... None of that matters as long as you survive the death penalty. Ole Miss knows this. And they PLANNED for it. ALL of it.

 

[MarkDallas]

And again: Take away scholarships, bowl games, etc... None of that matters as long as you survive the death penalty.

Ohio State proved that, for the big boys at least, you can weather NCAA sanctions without much damage.

 

[Rockydawg]

Yes. You are exactly right. I meant to mention Ohio State.

 

[TBone.sixpack]

You obviously haven't seen their trees**

 

[57stratdawg]

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but Miami and USC seem to prove it can be challenging.

I think alot of it is the coaching hire. Urban feel in OSU's lap, Miami and USC probably combine for 5 or 6 different HCs over about the same number of years. I suppose that could be a 'chicken-or-the-egg' situation, but still.

 

[MarkDallas]

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but Miami and USC seem to prove it can be challenging.

I didn't mean to insinuate that it would be easy. But it can​ be done. And fans won't care.

 

[ChinaDogSunflower]

Because he wins big games. Period.

Did people of the Buckeye nation call out Jim Tressel when all their **** hit the fan?
Sure they said he was stupid to lie, but no one wanted him fired.

Freeze has restored OM to a level of success that they haven't seen since integration. He restored their proverbial glory days and for that, he can do no wrong. He has been declared a Saint in Oxford.

 

[Mjoelner]

After the Cam purchase, you also see how fast Cheesedick was out of there when his program was put under a microscope and he couldn't afford to stay all-in. He was back to looking like a coach with that 5-19 record. So, the barn wasn't as all-in as they thought. We'll see if Freeze and Bjork are.

 

[Drebin]

Because he wins big games. Period.

Did people of the Buckeye nation call out Jim Tressel when all their **** hit the fan?
Sure they said he was stupid to lie, but no one wanted him fired.

Freeze has restored OM to a level of success that they haven't seen since integration. He restored their proverbial glory days and for that, he can do no wrong. He has been declared a Saint in Oxford.

Not really...

I mean, this may be the case *today*. But they will turn on him in a heartbeat. Just like they did on Nutt, Cutt, Tuberville, and Dog Brewer - and let's not forget Pete Boone. Let the NCAA come back and slam them at the end of all this - they will throw Freeze and the entire group under the bus and start all over.

I would even go so far as to say that there is some seedling of reasonable doubt as to the Reverend's dealings in the back of even the wooliest of Ole Miss minds today.

 

[drt7891]

They will only throw freeze under the bus when they start losing games. They did not turn on Nutt, Brewer, or Cutt until they started losing games. Let OM have a 5-6 win season next year, and it won't matter how many bible verses Hugh tweets.

 

[Drebin]

They will only throw freeze under the bus when they start losing games. They did not turn on Nutt, Brewer, or Cutt until they started losing games. Let OM have a 5-6 win season next year, and it won't matter how many bible verses Hugh tweets.

Hugh Freeze can go undefeated next year. If the NCAA throws the book at him, they will turn on him.

No one man is bigger than the program in their eyes.

 

[drt7891]

To me, this is the toughest battle. It's one thing to fight the national media. Whatever... But until the CL or the Daily Journal start asking them the tough questions, public perception won't be challenged.

Go back and watch "Pony Excess." There are some great quotes in there... Most notably:

"When the local media turns its guns on you... You're finished."

That's ultimately what blew the lid on SMU... Not so much the NCAA, as the local media trying to outscoop one another.

And that's what it's going to take, I think. Local media drives the home folks' perception and until someone steps up to the plate and starts asking Hugh and Co. These tough questions, it will be business as usual in Oxford.

 

[drt7891]

See, I disagree. They will only turn on him when they start putting together that he is the reason they are losing games. Right now, they are fully behind him and until this "glory," that he's brought them gets taken away (in the form of humiliating losses and vacated wins), they will stay behind him.