Ole Miss’ Pete Golding Would Rat Out 15 Teams if Hit by Tampering Penalty
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Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding was the ire of Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney this offseason after the Rebels flipped California transfer linebacker Luke Ferrelli from the Tigers.
Swinney accused Ole Miss of tampering, and released text messages he alleged were from Golding to Ferrelli, offering the linebacker more money to flip to Ole Miss.
Per ESPN, the NCAA enforcement staff opened an investigation into the matter on the same day Swinney made the accusations in January.
However, the NCAA may have a reason not to come down hard on the Rebels.
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Per Pete Nakos of On3, Golding would be willing to expose 15 programs for tampering if Ole Miss is penalized.
“Sources throughout the spring told On3 that Golding has told Ole Miss confidants that the NCAA knows he is willing to take down competitors if the Rebels are hit with tampering penalties,” Nakos wrote. “Sources have said Golding would be willing to expose more than 15 other schools of tampering.”
Tampering is rampant in the transfer portal, and many College Football Playoff contenders are quick to add players when the portal opens. The potential backlash would be a nightmare for the NCAA.
On Wednesday, Golding admitted “college football isn’t in a good place right now,” but thinks the NCAA should do better on enforcing rules that matter equally.
“There’s a lot more people involved that everybody might not know,” Golding said. “Everyone wants clarity. Enforcement about a lot of these things is a real problem. I’m not going to sit up here and say whatever we did or we didn’t do, was it right or was it wrong?
“But, you know, when you go through what we went through (with tampering), and what you’re seeing day-in and day-out, some things you feel like shouldn’t matter that they’re making a big deal about. It’s about the enforcement about it, that’s what everybody wants.”
The NCAA enforcement staff has had more than enough time to conclude the investigation into Ferrelli and render a verdict. Their silence on the issue is telling about what the body might think would happen if they enforced the rule on Ole Miss.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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