Ole Miss football is the subject of investigations by the NCAA and the College Sports Commission over two separate incidents.
The NCAA inquiry into high-profile tampering allegations from Clemson was reported by ESPN on Friday. Documents obtained by The Athletic through a public-records request reveal a different investigation by the CSC into a possible violation of NIL rules.
The Athletic reached out to an Ole Miss spokesperson for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
The ESPN report cited documents it obtained through an open-records request, including an email from an NCAA enforcement staffer to Ole Miss senior associate athletic director for compliance, Taylor Hall, that was sent on Jan. 23 — a few hours before Clemson coach Dabo Swinney publicly accused Ole Miss of improperly communicating with linebacker Luke Ferrelli. Ferrelli, who had transferred to Clemson from Cal, ended up at Ole Miss.
Although not publicly confirmed until ESPN’s reporting, the NCAA investigation has been a topic of conversation in the industry. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was asked about it at last week’s spring meetings and said he thought “that case in particular is going to be dealt with.”
Tampering, however, does not fall under the jurisdiction of the CSC. Player compensation does.
The CSC was formed after the House settlement, which allowed schools to begin paying players directly in July. The fledgling organization’s enforcement methods and its ability to implement penalties are largely untested/unknown. The CSC won a notable arbitration case involving Nebraska players last week, but the ruling does not necessarily apply to other cases.
Five days after the NCAA notified Ole Miss of its inquiry, the CSC separately reached out to ask about a transfer’s NIL and revenue-sharing deals, according to correspondence obtained by The Athletic through a public-records request. The player’s name and former school are redacted.
After Ole Miss and the player submitted deals to the CSC, investigators continued to ask about other deals, including whether any were pending with associated individuals or entities.
On Feb. 11, Hall, the senior associate athletic director for compliance, replied in part: “Is there anything else specifically that I need to ask him about? We are committed to being transparent and want to ensure our reporting obligations are satisfied.”
Two days later, the CSC sent a formal request to interview the player the next week on campus as it investigated whether he “violated rules related to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements.”
Ole Miss has been a lightning rod in the industry, recently drawing barbs from Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian. A $475,000 term sheet, a copy of which was obtained by The Athletic, that Ole Miss provided to a transfer who landed with the Rebels this past winter portal window, drew scrutiny from the player’s former Power Four conference and was passed along to the CSC several months ago. The sheet listed $235,000 in NIL compensation, but provided no explanation or sources for that figure. NIL payments are not allowed to be pay-for-play arrangements; they must be awarded for specific work, such as endorsements.
The CSC declined to comment on the investigation.
— The Athletic‘s Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report.
