If Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze is deposed in the lawsuit between former offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and his stepfather, Freeze's attorneys would like to limit Freeze's deposition to a specific set of questions.
Tunsil is being sued by stepfather Lindsey Miller. The two were allegedly in an altercation over the summer that resulted in Tunsil being arrested for domestic assault (the charges were dropped). According to Miller, Tunsil was meeting with agents on the night of the alleged incident.
From the Jackson Clarion-Ledger:
A motion for protective order filed by J. Cal Mayo Jr. and Kate Embry on Tuesday in Lafayette County Circuit Court requests that any possible deposition by Freeze would be conducted through written questions, would only relate to Freeze’s conversations with Tunsil regarding a possible altercation between Tunsil and Miller last summer, would only have parties and counsel related to the case in attendance and would be sealed pending court order.
Per TMZ, Freeze's filing is partially because "at this time, the NCAA is considering allegations against the University and its football program, including allegations related to [Tunsil]." Sealed transcripts would prevent Freeze's deposition from being accessible.
Tunsil was suspended for seven games in 2015 for impermissible benefits after the NCAA ruled he got a “four-month interest-free promissory note on a $3,000 down payment for purchasing a used vehicle, two nights of lodging at a local home, an airline ticket purchased by a friend of a teammate, and one day use of a rental vehicle.”
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The offensive tackle also seemingly admitted that his family was receiving benefits from Ole Miss itself after he was chosen in the NFL draft. As part of the circus that enveloped Tunsil on the first night of the NFL draft, screenshots were made public of an alleged conversation between Tunsil and an Ole Miss assistant AD regarding the payment of bills for his family.
Freeze said shortly after the draft that he knew "nothing" and was shocked by Tunsil's remarks after he was selected by the Miami Dolphins.
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Ole Miss has been accused of 28 NCAA rules violations and 13 of those involve the football program. The investigation into the athletic department concluded early in 2016 according to athletic director Ross Bjork.
Nine of the 13 allegations come from Freeze's time as Ole Miss coach, though Bjork said in February that Freeze has not been named in any wrongdoing. The coach is named for a deposition in the Tunsil suit, according to the Clarion-Ledger, because of Tunsil's description of the alleged altercation to Freeze. The suit states that Tunsil "knew, or should have known, that Coach Hugh Freeze, in particular, would repeat his remarks to local, state, and/or national media given Defendant Tunsil’s critical role on the Ole Miss football team."
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
