Re: Yahoo Sources: NCAA to formally charge Mississippi with rules violations
To be fair, I think Saban made an effort to reach out to Finebaum and win his favor when Saban first got here. Especially when he wasn't quite national yet, he really was the overwhelming guidance on the narrative in this state. I think the Ole Miss power brokers wanted the same kind of effect with Finebaum...get him positive towards their program in the early stages of the new regime.
Second, I do think the SECN connection probably dulls his teeth in situations like this one. The SEC front office is probably at red alert right now trying to damage control for Ole Miss. He's not going to throw gas on the fire in these scenarios within the SEC anymore.
Third, I don't think Freeze had anything to do with the violations under his watch. The way modern cheating works goes beyond "plausible deniability." The money men just read the tea leaves and make the stuff happen without the AD or coaching staff ever knowing about it. He seems like a good person who honestly loves his program and the opportunity to coach for Ole Miss. I don't think he'd do something to hurt them.
But the NCAA has shown that it doesn't really matter much whether the school administration or coaching staff knew anything about the violations. They realize how the cheating works now and they'd never stop cheating if the burden was to prove the school proper knew about the violations.
That's the impression I got with Freeze a few years ago.. If you go watch interviews of him from NSD 2013, he seemed literally dumbfounded at what had occurred. He couldn't believe what kind of class they had signed. He was bug-eyed and scratching his head.
One answer he gave when asked about how they got it done, was basically "Gosh, I don't know. We just told them how great this university is," blah, blah, blah
He really thinks their down home country boy, yes ma'am, no ma'am, go to church on sunday message is what won recruits over.
Then again, he may be full of bull. IIRC, doesn't Freeze tell recruits and current players that OM has a "tradition" of several national championships and SEC championships that they have never won, and that they are going to bring that tradition back?