Report: Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil could miss ‘several’ more games
It looks like Ole Miss will be without Laremy Tunsil for quite a while due to a lingering NCAA investigation.
According to ESPN, the Rebels are “bracing to be without Tunsil for several more games,” including Saturday night’s at Alabama, while the NCAA continues to look into the All-American offensive tackle, who was accused by his stepfather of accepting benefits from “agents” during the summer.
Tunsil has already missed the team’s first two games this season.
The allegation surfaced after Tunsil was arrested for domestic assault against his stepfather, Lindsey Miller, after an alleged incident between Miller and Tunsil’s mother.
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An investigation into Ole Miss had reportedly been ongoing, but the focus on Tunsil intensified following the incident with Miller, who said Tunsil was riding around in cars with agents. The charges against Tunsil and Miller were later dropped.
From ESPN:
The NCAA has conducted an investigation into Ole Miss’ athletic department that has dragged on for more than three years now. The part of the investigation involving Tunsil heated up this summer when he and his mother’s estranged husband, Lindsey Miller, had a physical altercation that prompted both to file domestic violence charges. Afterward, Miller claimed Tunsil had been riding around in cars with agents and had accepted impermissible benefits from agents and officials at Ole Miss.
Tunsil, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound junior, did not play in the Rebels’ first two games. Sources told ESPN.com that the sticking point is a loaner vehicle Tunsil received from Cannon Motors in Oxford, Mississippi, while his car was in the repair shop. Tunsil allegedly kept that loaner vehicle for an extended period of time before returning it to the dealership, and the NCAA has deemed it an extra benefit.
In a statement to ESPN, Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork said the investigation into Tunsil is not “related to anybody on our football staff, Coach Freeze or any of the assistants.”
“We want to protect the young man and are doing everything we can to do that, but we also have to and need to and should protect our staff and our program,” Freeze said.
Bjork also did not offer a timetable for Tunsil’s reinstatement. NCAA rules say accepting impermissible benefits “greater than $700” requires a player to miss 30 percent of his games.
According to ESPN, Mike Sheridan has led the NCAA’s investigation into Ole Miss and has “had multiple conversations with Miller” since the June incident and “has talked with somewhere between 10 and 20 Ole Miss players.”
The overall investigation reportedly dates back to the Houston Nutt era. Freeze’s top-five 2013 recruiting class also came under scrutiny.
From ESPN.com:
Mike Sheridan has been the NCAA’s investigator on the Ole Miss case, which dates back to former head coaches in women’s basketball and football. Sources told ESPN.com there are leftover items from the Houston Nutt regime that could lead to minor penalties for the Rebels.
But the whole investigation took on a different turn in March 2013 after the Rebels brought in a top-five signing class in football. Some of the hype surrounding that class, particularly the highly rated out-of-state prospects Ole Miss signed, led to widespread innuendo about how the Rebels could attract such coveted players. Just before signing day in 2013, a fed-up Freeze fired back and tweeted that if anybody had any proof that he was cheating, they should email the Ole Miss compliance department.
Tunsil, a five-star recruit, was a key cog in that 2013 recruiting class and has started at left tackle since his true freshman season. He is also a top NFL prospect.
For more Ole Miss news, visit RebelGrove.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
