Hugh Freeze Calls Houston Nutt Lawsuit Timing 'Ironic,' Declines Further Comment

Mississippi head football coach Hugh Freeze offered a brief comment about the lawsuit filed against the school by Houston Nutt.  

In a meeting with local reporters Thursday (via Will Sammon and Antonio Morales of the Clarion-Ledger), Freeze said it "seems a bit ironic that the timing was what it was, but it is what it is.”

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports reported Wednesday that Nutt filed a civil lawsuit against Ole Miss alleging "breach of contract via defamation of character, in relation to the school’s handling of an NCAA investigation."

Freeze noted he was unable to provide further comment on the situation since the lawsuit is still pending. 

Nutt was the head coach at Mississippi from 2008-11, leading the program to back-to-back nine-win seasons in his first two years before combining to win just six games over the next two seasons before he was fired. 

Forde's report notes Nutt's lawsuit accuses Mississippi of running a "smear campaign" against him after he signed a separation agreement in November 2011. 

Freeze took over for Nutt as Mississippi's head coach in 2012. The Rebels made four straight bowl appearances in his first four seasons, including a Sugar Bowl win over Oklahoma State in 2015.