Last week we highlighted a haunted ESPN story on "How a phone call to an escort service led to Hugh Freeze's downfall."
We pointed out the glaring omission of certain words from the in-depth piece on the Ole Miss football coach's resignation.
Words such as Jesus, God, church and faith.
Now we are back with the same subject matter but fewer holy ghosts, courtesy of USA Today, which poses this question:
Who is Hugh Freeze?
As we previously noted, it's impossible to answer that question without delving into his professed faith. Kudos to USA Today for recognizing that.
The religion angle figures up high — and throughout — the national newspaper's report:
OXFORD, Miss. — Hugh Freeze stood outside his house near a muscular dog earlier this week when a reporter approached.
“You better watch this dog,’’ Freeze said, and a moment later he added, “I can control him.’’
But less than two weeks after he abruptly resigned as head football coach at the University of Mississippi, the narrative of the once-charmed coach has spun beyond control.
Freeze, 47, was the devout Christian who beat Nick Saban and Alabama two years in a row, built a team that climbed to No. 3 in the polls and, at least in the eyes of the Ole Miss faithful, could do little wrong. A husband and father of three daughters, he often tweeted Bible verses or religious words of inspiration.
Another side has emerged, though. Before he resigned on July 20, Freeze was under scrutiny for alleged recruiting violations. Ole Miss has self-imposed several penalties, including a postseason ban, and an NCAA investigation continues.
His downfall was ultimately the result of what Ole Miss officials called a "pattern of personal misconduct," and the revelation that a phone call from Freeze's university-issued cell phone had been made to a number associated with a female escort.
