Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Sanctions, Sankey And Transfers

Wait no longer Ole Miss football fans, here is the latest Grove Grinder with my own opinion about several issues which have struck us in the past week.

The past couple of weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for Ole Miss football fans. We had the huge Egg Bowl win and Matt Luke hire which were obvious highs. Then we had the release of the COI ruling and sanctions which were obvious lows. Add to that the visit to Oxford by Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and the rumors of a mass exodus of players away from Oxford and we have a great deal to grind about.

We’ll begin with the COI ruling and sanctions which were little more than what Ole Miss had self-imposed and a 2018 bowl ban.  We have been promised by Ole Miss AD Ross Bjork and Chancellor Jeff Vitter the latter will be appealed. We’ll see. There has been an obvious attempt by Ole Miss admin to shelter us from the magnitude of the problems with this issue. During this time transparency is essential. However, transparency should have been an issue when the football program was under the NCAA gun. It wasn’t.

This Ole Miss administration kept us, all of Rebel nation in the dark. They hoped for the best. However, it did little to combat the NCAA and the fiasco which ultimately cost us a head coach. It also cost a good man his job. Before you can honestly say this was all former head coach Hugh Freeze’s fault just wait a minute. You should consider what transparency in the administration would have done to rectify the entire problem.

Not knowing what was going on was the number one reason all this happened to begin with. Had the Ole Miss admin insisted on transparency from its coaching staff then this may have never even happened. Unfortunately that’s not the case.

The Sanctions Don’t Matter?

Ole Miss Rebels Football

Do the sanctions hurt Ole Miss? Of course they do. However, much of the damage has already been done and there has been no help from this admin. They have kept players, players families, alumni and the average season ticket holder in the dark over the whole ordeal.

Before you blame Freeze or anybody else, this could have been combatted by the admin. It never had to be this bad. It could have been much better.

The NCAA hasn’t crippled us especially in the age of the internet. Now everybody has a cell phone or video camera and, like me everybody has an opinion.

If there is a kid looking to play football on the collegiate level then he can hit google and find out everything about Ole Miss and our football program he ever wanted to know. This fares well for Ole Miss.

Of course, there is still the impending doom of the NCAA cloud over our football program with the 2018 bowl ban. Like the NCAA agenda against Ole Miss, “The most racist school in the south” per former NCAA investigator Chris Howard, it hasn’t been enough.

Sankey Chimes In Finally

So let me guess, because of his affiliation as chair of the NCAA Committee On Infractions, Sankey couldn’t do his job. Give me a break, which matters more to Sankey? Does his alignment with the NCAA trump his obligation as SEC Commissioner. Why did Sankey wait until sanctions had been handed down to make a statement on behalf of Ole Miss? Sankey should have already come out in defense of a charter member of the SEC, however he couldn’t. Sankey was all NCAA and Miss State way before Ole Miss.

Now there are people, even Ole Miss fans, who want to believe SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will back Ole Miss. No, he won’t. All Sankey is trying to do is save face in the midst of a scandal. Sankey has significant ties to Miss State and the NCAA, both of which have an obvious agenda against Ole Miss. Trust me, a 20 game lead in the series makes a helluva difference to some people. They’ll do whatever they can to even the score. Even when it means calling in favors from your boss. Thanks Larry Templeton, consultant to the SEC commissioner and former Miss State admin. Shady at best.

Some Rebels fans have put their faith and hope in Sankey, trusting he’ll do the right thing. Trusting Sankey to help Ole Miss is like trusting a trojan horse. The only way I’d trust Sankey is if he immediately resigned as SEC Commissioner.

And Now The Transfers

I’m not one to automatically point out I was right and you were wrong. However, I saw the transfers coming even before the season started. It is a product of an NCAA investigation. The NCAA hands down sanctions and there are transfers. Such is the case for Ole Miss football. Transfers happen in light of the NCAA hammer tactics.

You really can’t blame a high-profile player for wanting to get away from the dumpster fire of the NCAA. however, allowing a kid to transfer is one thing. Forcing strong-arm tactics against a team to ensure transfers is another. There are no real reasons for Ole Miss players to transfer. The real reason is some of them really aren’t that good to begin with. Of course, those aren’t the high-profile players I’m talking about.

It’s certain there are a couple of players who’ve been mentioned as possible transfers who can and will benefit from making a move to another football team. The others will probably be in the same depth situation they were in at Ole Miss, overshadowed and out of their element.

Of course, I wish no ill on any player for wanting to better themselves. However, there is a time when you run to something better and there is a time when you just run from the situation you’ve found yourself in. That situation could be your own fault and not the school you play for. This isn’t intended for every player considering a transfer. For a couple it would be in their best interest. Just being honest here.

Next: Always A Controversy....Probably Not!

I look forward to your feedback on anything and everything I’ve stated. You can always hit me up here on OHT thru DISQUS or you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks in advance for your opinion and support. Hotty Toddy!