@BrennonChapman Ole Miss 1986 — NCAA major-infractions case. Ole Miss football is placed on two years’ probation following numerous NCAA violations. This becomes important later because the NCAA eventually views subsequent cases as evidence of a recurring institutional problem. 1994 — Ole Miss football gets hammered by the NCAA again. The case involves major recruiting violations, improper inducements, extra benefits, ethical-conduct violations and institutional-control problems. Allegations included offers of cash and cars to recruits and a university representative entertaining recruits at a Memphis-area strip club where alcohol was provided. Head coach Billy Brewer is fired while the investigation is underway. Athletic director Warner Alford resigns. The penalties include: Four years probation Two-year bowl ban No television appearances during the 1995 season Recruiting restrictions Scholarships cut dramatically, including only 13 initial scholarships in each of two recruiting classes Ole Miss appeals portions of the punishment. 1997 — While still on NCAA probation, Ole Miss reports another football recruiting violation. Tommy Tuberville and an assistant visited junior-college prospects during a no-contact period. Ole Miss self-reports it and stops recruiting the players. Then there’s a relatively quiet period. And then Hugh Freeze arrives. 2012 — Hugh Freeze takes over Ole Miss. Ole Miss rapidly becomes a major recruiting force. But behind that rise, violations are accumulating. 2010–15 — NCAA investigation eventually expands across multiple Ole Miss sports. This becomes important because the eventual cases aren’t limited to football. Women’s basketball staff members commit academic fraud to keep athletes eligible. Track staff members commit recruiting violations and provide false or misleading information during the NCAA investigation. 2016 — NCAA major-infractions decision involving women’s basketball and track. The NCAA finds: Academic fraud Unethical conduct False or misleading information Failure to monitor Failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance And football is still being investigated separately. 2016–17 — The Ole Miss football investigation explodes. The NCAA ultimately finds that: Six football staff members and 12 boosters participated in violations. Prospects received approximately $37,000 in improper benefits, including: Cash Cars Lodging Transportation Meals Clothing And it gets worse. Two staff members helped arrange fraudulent standardized-test scores for three prospects. February 2017 — Ole Miss self-imposes a bowl ban. The university announces it will keep the football team out of the 2017 postseason as the NCAA case continues. July 2017 — Hugh Freeze resigns. And strangely, the NCAA violations aren’t directly what finally brings him down. Former Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt’s legal dispute with the university leads to examination of Freeze’s university cellphone records. A call to a number associated with an escort service is discovered. Ole Miss initially believes it could have been a misdial. Administrators investigate further. They discover what Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter describes as a: “pattern of personal misconduct.” Athletic director Ross Bjork says Ole Miss would have fired Freeze for cause had he not resigned. A subsequent review of phone records finds at least 12 calls to numbers associated with escort-service advertisements over approximately 33 months. Cont….