Former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze has stayed quiet since resigning three weeks ago amidst a NCAA investigation that he compared to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. Ironically, staying quiet has brought him back into the news.
Washington Post reporter Will Hobson has claimed that when he showed up at Freeze’s home in Oxford, Mississippi, to ask the former coach some questions related to the investigation, Freeze didn’t want to talk and then threatened to call the cops on Hobson:
Freeze, who answered the door of his Oxford home last week, declined to answer questions about Farrar and threatened to have a reporter arrested.
It’s totally reasonable for a homeowner to threaten calling the cops on a trespasser, even if it’s a pretty unusual response to a reporter. And Freeze certainly doesn’t have to talk if he doesn’t want to. But it’s important to note the reporter was asking about former Ole Miss staffer Barney Farrar, who has made claims through his attorney that Ole Miss used him as a scapegoat in the ongoing NCAA investigation. Ole Miss fired Farrar in December and, in its response to the NCAA’s notice of allegations, defended Freeze and claimed Farrar acted alone in violating NCAA rules.
Freeze doesn’t appear interested in talking to any media about any issue at the moment, but his relationship with Farrar could be a particularly testy discussion topic. Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork also declined an interview for Hobson’s story, which focused on Farrar’s decision to fight back against the university rather than fade into the night.
Maybe Hobson would’ve had better luck getting quotes at this Hugh Freeze-themed strip club party.
About Jesse Kramer
Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.