Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels continue to come under fire for allegations of improper benefits and the heat is rising with haste. On Wednesday, the program self-imposed a bowl ban for the 2017 college football season, presumably in an effort to avoid additional sanctions from the NCAA. Shortly after that announcement, word broke that Ole Miss was accused of paying a recruit between $13,000 and $15,600 before (somehow) failing to sign the player in question.
Now, the Rebels have been tied to an even more egregious financial number, as Mattie-Lou Chandler of Outkick The Coverage reports that Ole Miss provided more than $250,000 to the Nkemdiche family.
Robert Nkemdiche became a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2016 and he was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country coming out of high school. In addition, his brother, Denzel, was also a standout for the Rebels and this type of finger-pointing could really move the needle when it comes to the ongoing NCAA investigation.
It is important to note that a number like this would need to be proven without a shadow of doubt for it to stick to Ole Miss but the mere thought of giving a family this kind of money won't be easy to escape from for the Rebels. More will likely follow on this story, but it is rough in Oxford right now.