Sports
Ole Miss, Ex-Football Coach Houston Nutt, Reach Deal In Lawsuit
University phone records produced for Nutt's lawsuit uncovered a one-minute call from coach Hugh Freeze to an escort service in 2016.
OXFORD, MS — The University of Mississippi and former football coach Houston Nutt said they reached an agreement to resolve Nutt's lawsuit against the school alleging a breach of his severance agreement over false statements that he said school officials made during an NCAA investigation into rules violations by the football program. The parties released a joint statement Monday.
Nutt led the Rebels from 2008 to 2011. He initially filed a federal lawsuit in July during Southeastern Conference football media days. Though it was eventually dismissed, he refiled it in state court last week. Nutt received an apology from the university, but financial details weren't released.
"Certain statements made by university employees in January 2016 appear to have contributed to misleading media reports about Coach Nutt," the university said in the statement. "To the extent any such statements harmed Coach Nutt's reputation, the university apologizes, as this was not the intent. (For more information on Ole Miss and other Across Mississippi stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
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"The NCAA's Notice of Allegations dated January 22, 2016, did not name or implicate Coach Nutt in any misconduct, and it would have been inappropriate for any university employee to suggest otherwise."
Nutt's portion of the statement said he is "pleased to put the lawsuit behind me. Best wishes to the future of the Ole Miss Football program."
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The three-month legal drama will be most remembered for indirectly leading to the resignation of Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze, who replaced Nutt in 2011. University phone records that were produced during research for Nutt's lawsuit eventually uncovered a one-minute call from Freeze to an escort service in 2016.
The university then launched its own internal investigation that found a "pattern of personal misconduct." Freeze resigned in July, just a few weeks before preseason practice began.
By DAVID BRANDT, AP Sports Writer
Photo credit: Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press