We all have been waiting for the seemingly annual college football scandal to hit. It may be that our wait is finally over.
The University of Mississippi athletic program is under investigation by the NCAA for potential rules violations in multiple sports, Yahoo Sports reports.
Ross Bjork, athletic director at Ole Miss, confirmed on Wednesday that the school "is working with the NCAA" in an ongoing investigation. According to Bjork, Ole Miss has not received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA, neither is there a date set for a hearing in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions. Bjork declined to make any further comments.
Yahoo Sports reports that sources have told them that the focus of the investigations are the Mississippi football and women's basketball programs.
"One source with knowledge of the probe said the bulk of the potential violations relate to women's basketball," writes Pat Forde. "The source said the current football staff of head coach Hugh Freeze is not believed to be implicated in any major violations, and that much of the football inquiry dates back to actions by a previous Ole Miss staff. Freeze is in his third year at the school. The source said there have been no new allegations, all NCAA interviews have completed and the school is waiting for the NCAA Department of Enforcement's next step."
In October 2012, Bjork fired women's basketball coach Adrian Wiggins and two of his assistants after alleged rules violations were reported. The football investigation, according to Yahoo Sports sources, has been ongoing for more than a year.
A request for all correspondence between the school and the NCAA Department of Enforcement between Sept. 1, 2013 and Sept. 1, 2014, revealed 19 secondary or Level III violations in that time period. All names and affected sports were redacted.
Mississippi was most recently sanctioned by the NCAA in 1994, when the school was given a one-year television ban, a two-year postseason band and four years probation, along with scholarship reductions.
This investigation comes at a time when the football team is undefeated and ranked 11th in the country. The Rebels host third-ranked Alabama this weekend.
