Live from Covington: Day 2 of Ole Miss' COI hearing (Updated: 6:22 PM)
COVINGTON, Kentucky -- The doors closed to the John A. Roebling ballroom this morning at 8:30 a.m. EDT, marking the beginning of Day Two of Ole Miss' hearing in front of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions.
Day One on Monday included more than 10 hours of discussion. Two media outlets, The Ole Miss Spirit and the Clarion-Ledger, reported Monday the panel heard 14 of the 21 allegations against the Ole Miss football program during Day One. Sources confirmed those reports to RebelGrove.com Monday but said the COI also heard one other allegation already agreed to, meaning there are just six allegations to hear and argue on Tuesday.
The NCAA set aside three days for the hearings, but it's possible _ if not probable _ the COI hearing could conclude sometime Tuesday.
The allegations to be heard today are some of the most serious and most contested in the entire NOA, which is the result of a five-year investigation into Ole Miss' football program. On Tuesday, the COI will hear arguments regarding the now infamous text from Booster 14 (an attorney in Ridgeland, Miss.) to then-Ole Miss staffer Barney Farrar. The text, which was written as a message to then-prospect Leo Lewis, was never delivered to the standout linebacker. However, Farrar didn't report it to superiors or to Ole Miss' compliance officials.
The NCAA alleges Booster 14 paid Lewis, who signed with Mississippi State, between $13,000 and $15,000 just before National Signing Day in 2014.
Lewis was granted limited immunity in the case. NCAA officials hid him in Covington late Sunday and snuck him into the ballroom mid-morning Monday. Lewis spent the rest of the day in the hearing and was questioned by members of the COI panel, according to sources. Lewis is expected to attend Tuesday's proceedings as well.
It is also alleged Lewis and another former prospect, Kobe Jones, received free food and drinks at Funky's, a popular daiquiri bar and pizza restaurant on the Oxford Square. Funky's owner, Lee Harris, has denied those allegations.
Farrar is also charged with coordinating rides to campus, using a courier friendly to the program, for prospects.
Finally, former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze will defend himself today against a Level I allegation that Freeze violated his head-coaching responsibility, and the university will defend itself against a Lack of Institutional Control charge, perhaps the most damning allegation the NCAA can make against a member-institution.
Ole Miss has already imposed a one-year postseason ban and double-digit scholarships. The NCAA investigators in the case want more significant penalties. RebelGrove.com reported in January the NCAA investigators were seeking a two-year bowl ban, show causes against Freeze and Farrar, more than 20 scholarships lost and suspensions against former Ole Miss assistant Chris Kiffin and current Ole Miss assistant Maurice Harris. Weeks after that report, the NCAA delivered the amended NOA to Ole Miss, one that, if it is confirmed by the COI, would likely deliver penalties of that magnitude.
Yahoo national college football reporter Pat Forde, who was in Covington Monday, reported early Monday the COI "isn’t going to be saying anything before the Egg Bowl game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State on Nov. 23 – no need to further stoke that out-of-control fire. The Rebels and their former coaches will not learn their fate until the last week of November at the earliest."
A source close to Ole Miss' case said he found Forde's report "difficult to believe."
Typically, rulings are issued within 6-8 weeks of the COI's conclusion. Ole Miss wants a ruling well before the end of the regular season so that it can conduct a coaching search with one major variable no longer hanging over the program.
2:21 EDT Update: There's really nothing new to report. All parties are still behind closed doors in the ballroom. The lobby is quiet. The parrot is in his cage. Antonio Morales of the Clarion-Ledger is interviewing RebelGrove.com poster JHV.
Once again, the topic of the day is Leo Lewis. Sources told RebelGrove.com Monday Lewis would return for more testimony (or whatever it's called in these hearings) Tuesday, and we continue to believe that's the case, despite a report to the contrary. More information as we get it.
3:27 P.M. EDT Update: This is second-half stuff, so take it with a few grains of salt: A source close to the Ole Miss program said the COI was tougher on Lewis Monday than Ole Miss officials thought they would be. Attorneys for Ole Miss' interests planned to attack Lewis' credibility further today, pushing the issue regarding the contradictions in the investigators' accepting Lewis as credible as it pertained to Ole Miss but not credible in his claims regarding accepting improper funds from Mississippi State in the recruiting process.
A separate source told RebelGrove.com Monday they expected Tuesday to be a rough one for Ole Miss, not necessarily in terms of outcome but in terms of the subject matter.
5:09 P.M. EDT Update: Several parties just took a short break. I am told there is optimism that the proceedings could end today. "That's the plan," one participant said.
6:07 P.M. Update: It's over. The involved parties have left the conference room. Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork confirmed the hearing is over. He declined to comment.
6:15 P.M. Update: Ole Miss' coaches appear to be checking out of the Embassy Suites now, heading back to Oxford.
Sources are very tight-lipped. Warnings have clearly been issued regarding leaks and such. I've picked up a very positive vibe, but I'd be hesitant to read much into that.
