Can public opinion make the NCAA investigation into Ole Miss football take a turn for the better? Of course it can but will it?
Friday morning an article was released with tons of information about the NCAA investigation into Ole Miss football by Steven Godfrey of SB Nation. Most of the article was focused on Leo Lewis but, also mentions other State players Kobe Jones and Jeffery Simmons. As well the article includes a detailed timeline including dialogue from the interviews with Leo Lewis. We’ll take a look at the main points of the article and what this could mean for Ole Miss and their fans!
Juicy, Juicy Details
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Transcripts of the three interviews are included and they shed light on some interesting details of what Leo Lewis said to the investigators.
Leo claims several events happened at Ole Miss while he was there on unofficial visits including meals, car rides and hotel rooms on Ole Miss’ dime. But when it came to the specifics of these he drew a blank such as when it happened or who he was with. In addition, he claims to have received $100 handshakes from an Oxford bar owner.
The most interesting claim is at Rebel Rags he was given a gift card and just had to swipe it. Rebel Rags disproved this claim as it has never had a gift card system as he said. Oh yeah, we can’t forget that a supposed booster gave him 10k in cash before NSD.
The second interview went the same, providing tons of “evidence” with little proof. Such as saying at Rebel Rags they “removed all the clips”, again disproved by the store because they have never had that system in place either.
The last interview took place December 13th, 2016. The NCAA and Leo discussed the notorious snap chat video of him flashing a stack of money and car shopping. He was also asked who offered him money while he was getting recruited, although his answer was redacted Ole Miss claims that school is Mississippi State.
What Does This Mean For Ole Miss?
This could give Ole Miss some life now. Why? In the article, it mentions that the NCAA investigated Mississippi State for three days because of what Leo Lewis claimed but dropped it after not finding anything credible. All they had to go off of was his word. Which is what they’re going by in the Ole Miss investigation. If Leo is not credible on one, why is he on the other? This is a question the NCAA will have to answer with the thought of bad press if they answer wrong.
Leo asked to be excused from the hearing in Covington, Kentucky and attend via Skype. He was denied. I believe if the NCAA drags Leo there it will hurt them as well as Mississippi State. Because he has immunity for what he says, does not mean the school is protected. The NCAA has to either go all the way with what Lewis has claimed and punish Ole Miss, Mississippi State and LSU (his mother asked them for 650k) or drop the allegations completely.
If the latter happens Ole Miss will come out smelling like a rose compared to what could happen, a two-year bowl ban. The self-imposed bowl ban will stick and some scholarships will be lost but that’s where it would end. Hopefully, this dark cloud that has been in Oxford for nearly 5 years will leave and we can get back to celebrating our Saturdays. Hotty Toddy!