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Ole Miss self-imposes 1-year bowl ban following NCAA investigation
Ole Miss announced Wednesday that it will voluntarily take a one-year bowl ban for 2017 after an NCAA investigation uncovered 21 allegations of violations made by the football program.
The self-imposed penalty is a result of an official notice of eight additional athletic compliance violations, in addition to 13 prior allegations the NCAA issued Ole Miss last year. The NCAA's initial investigation into the program was expanded following Laremy Tunsil’s eventful NFL Draft night.
Ironically, none of the new charges are directly related to Tunsil's draft night antics, but rather a result of the NCAA's more in-depth look into the school. It appears as if the NCAA did not have enough evidence to substantiate Tunsil's specific claims.
Among the violations found by the NCAA is a lack of institutional control — a charge which the school plans to fight, according to a video statement released by Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter, Vice Chancellor of Athletics Ross Bjork and head football coach Hugh Freeze.
Of the eight new violations, six of them are considered Level I, which the NCAA deems most serious. The program is now facing a total of 15 Level I violations.
The new charges include cash payments from boosters and involve previous and current staff members. A full list of the new allegations can be found here.
In addition to the 2017 postseason ban, the Rebels will also forfeit their annual SEC postseason money, approximately $7.8 million, as per league rules.
