Memo: SEC didn't block Freeze hire in 2018

In 2018 erstwhile respective SEC schools were funny successful hiring Hugh Freeze, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent retired a memorandum to league presidents, chancellors and diversion directors to pass them of Freeze's "status with respect to the conference."

Freeze was hired Tuesday arsenic Auburn's caput shot coach.

While Sankey's 2018 memo, which was obtained by ESPN, did not prohibit schools from hiring Freeze, it was a stern reminder of the conditions and restrictions related to Freeze if an SEC schoolhouse had chosen to prosecute him astatine that point. Per NCAA penalties, Freeze would person faced a suspension for the archetypal 2 league games of the 2018 season, but lone arsenic a caput manager and not arsenic an adjunct coach.

Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee were among schools funny successful hiring Freeze successful an adjunct coaching and/or coordinator relation pursuing his ouster astatine Ole Miss.

Freeze was retired of coaching for the 2017 and 2018 seasons aft moving afoul of NCAA rules portion the caput manager astatine Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016. He was the Liberty caput manager for the erstwhile 4 seasons earlier getting a 2nd accidental successful the SEC astatine Auburn.

After rebuilding Ole Miss' programme to a Top-25 level, Freeze resigned successful the weeks starring up to preseason signifier successful 2017. University officials discovered helium made a bid of calls connected his university-issued compartment telephone to aggregate numbers associated with a pistillate escort service. Ole Miss was being investigated by the NCAA astatine the time. Ross Bjork, past the Ole Miss diversion director, said the 2 matters were separate, but said helium would person fired Freeze for a "pattern of misconduct" had Freeze not resigned.

Later successful 2017, Ole Miss was placed connected NCAA probation for violations that occurred successful portion nether Freeze, and the sanctions included a two-year vessel ban. Freeze was charged individually by the NCAA Division I Committee connected Infractions of a Level 1 usurpation and recovered blameworthy of failing to adequately show his shot unit and its enactment with boosters.

"We had a fig of institutions successful 2018 with involvement successful considering Hugh which were inquiring astir what had transpired astatine his erstwhile instauration [Ole Miss] and if determination was immoderate applicable league accountability," Sankey told ESPN connected Friday. "The intent of the missive was to enactment each of our institutions connected the aforesaid leafage with accordant information."

Sources told ESPN that Sankey ne'er told anyone during that clip that helium was blocking SEC schools from hiring Freeze. However, Sankey did archer Freeze that it was his beardown penchant that Freeze permission the SEC and spell manager elsewhere without anymore NCAA issues -- particularly with Ole Miss inactive connected probation -- and past travel backmost to the SEC if helium had opportunities.

Sankey said helium and Freeze spoke connected the telephone earlier this week and that Sankey congratulated Freeze connected his hiring astatine Auburn.

"I look from this constituent forward. We're informed by people's past," said Sankey, adding that helium and Freeze person had aggregate telephone conversations implicit the past 5 years. "I appreciated the mode helium responded during his property conference, and I respect the information that helium and I, implicit the succeeding years since his departure from Ole Miss, could person candid and honorable conversation."

Freeze said respective times during his property league Tuesday that helium was thankful for 2nd chances and added, "I'm not definite that's accurate," erstwhile asked astir reports that Sankey had antecedently blocked him from being hired wrong the league.

"He's ne'er done thing but sprout maine dormant consecutive and archer maine what helium thought was best, not lone for the conference, but for me," Freeze said of Sankey. "I admit a antheral that treats you similar that."

In his Nov. 12, 2018 memo, Sankey noted that SEC schools marque autarkic decisions connected who they privation to hire, but those decisions indispensable conscionable the expectations of SEC Bylaw 19.8.1.2, which requires institutions to interaction the NCAA and SEC offices regarding a imaginable hire's compliance inheritance anterior to offering employment.

In addition, Sankey wrote successful his memo that the Committee connected Infractions described Ole Miss' violations "as cutting against and undermining halfway principles of the collegiate model." Sankey added that Freeze was "directly progressive successful immoderate of the little superior violations."

Under the authorization granted to him arsenic commissioner, Sankey outlined successful 2018 immoderate of the conditions and restrictions related to Freeze should helium beryllium hired by an SEC school.

Those conditions included:

• Because Freeze had been recovered blameworthy of committing a Level I violation, the president oregon chancellor would beryllium expected to consult straight with Sankey anterior to offering Freeze a job.

• Within 30 days of Freeze's hiring, the school's president, module athletics representative, diversion director, caput manager and Freeze would person to conscionable with Sankey astatine the league bureau successful Birmingham. Prior to that meeting, the schoolhouse would supply Sankey with a written program explaining its implicit compliance oversight of Freeze and that program would person to beryllium approved and signed by the school's president oregon chancellor.

• Freeze would beryllium required to be an NCAA Regional Rules gathering successful 2019 and 2020 and stay for astatine slightest 2 days.

• Freeze would beryllium prohibited from off-campus recruiting activities until Aug. 1, 2019.

• Any aboriginal usurpation of NCAA rules oregon SEC bylaws involving Freeze would beryllium taxable to further scrutiny.

On Nov. 27, 2020, Sankey sent retired a revised mentation of Bylaw 19.8.1.2 to presidents, chancellors and diversion directors that did not notation Freeze by name, but it included stipulations astir the hiring of immoderate coaches successful the SEC that had anterior NCAA issues.

In that 2020 memo, Sankey pointed retired that SEC institutions were required to "thoroughly measure each candidate's rules compliance grounds anterior to offering employment, including asking the campaigner straight and communicating with the NCAA and SEC regarding the candidate's compliance record."

Also, Sankey said successful that 2020 memo that a school's president oregon chancellor was expected to interaction him straight to sermon immoderate coaching campaigner being considered for employment that had "engaged successful unethical behaviour oregon participated successful enactment that resulted oregon whitethorn effect successful Level I, Level II oregon large infractions."

Sankey added that implicit the past fewer years helium had received respective inquiries from SEC schools astir the presumption of "several of these individuals [primarily adjunct coaches] and expect these inquiries volition continue."