Apparently, Dabo Swinney and Clemson are not the only ones accusing Ole Miss of tampering.
Less than a week after Swinney revealed Clemson had turned the Rebels into the NCAA for tampering with portal signee Luke Ferrelli, a new report has surfaced claiming that Fresno State has also turned in evidence of Ole Miss tampering with a player on the Bulldogs’ roster.
According to the report, an Ole Miss football staff member made improper contact and tampered with Fresno State wideout Josiah Freeman, a sixth-year senior and the team’s leading receiver.
“Fresno State has receipts,” the report states.
Fresno State head coach Matt Entz and athletic director Garrett Klassy both declined to comment publicly, but Freeman provided screenshots of the contact, according to the report.
Pete Golding and Ole Miss have already been under fire for the Ferrelli situation at Clemson. Swinney claims Golding texted Ferrelli directly while he was sitting in class after having already enrolled at the school. Ferrelli had already signed his financial aid agreement and was taking part in football activities.
“We turned everything in to the NCAA,” Swinney said last Friday. “And I’m just going to say this. There’s tampering, and then there’s blatant tampering. Tampering 101 is when you’re talking to kids who aren’t in the portal. Tampering 201 is when you’ve already negotiated the deal, when the kid’s not in the portal. Tampering 301 is when you’ve got a kid who’s gone in the portal, signed somewhere, moved there, gone to classes, and you’re texting them while they’re in class. That’s like a whole other level of tampering.”
The NCAA then quickly released a statement following Swinney’s comments.
“The NCAA will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expect full cooperation from all involved as is required by NCAA rules,” NCAA Vice President of Enforcement Jon Duncan said in a statement. “The NCAA will investigate any credible allegations of tampering and expect full cooperation from all involved as is required by NCAA rules. We will not comment further on any ongoing investigation.”
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