Hugh Freeze Talks Ole Miss Resignation, Apologizes for 'Private Sin'

Former University of Mississippi head football coach Hugh Freeze apologized Wednesday for the "private sin" that led to his resignation from the Rebels' program in July.

George Schroeder of USA Today passed along comments Freeze made at Liberty University about the "pattern of personal misconduct" discovered by the school after learning of a call he made to an escort service.

"All the walls came crumbling down when what I thought was a private sin that I had struggled with, confessed to my wife to two of my friends in 2016, that I thought I was dealing with and was in my rear-view mirror, when it became public knowledge," he said.

Freeze noted his Christian faith was a "solid rock, solid foundation" during the aftermath, and he wanted to use the Liberty chapel service to apologize.

"I had to say to people that I loved, 'I am sorry, please forgive me,'" he said. "And today is really the first day I can tell the faith family, 'I am sorry, please forgive me.'"

His remarks at the Lynchburg, Virginia, school marked his first public comments about the matter.

The 48-year-old Mississippi native limited the discussion to personal matters. He didn't talk about the NCAA punishments handed down to Ole Miss in December, saying it "lacked institutional control and fostered an unconstrained culture of booster involvement in football recruiting."

In addition, Freeze will need to serve a two-game conference suspension if he's hired by an NCAA school before Nov. 30.

"I cannot control what people say, what people think, nor can you," he concluded at Liberty, per Schroeder. "But I can make up my mind. And my mind is set, it is settled. My eyes are clear. My heart is full. My feet are pointed forward and I am looking forward with thanksgiving to what God has for me and my family next, because of His great love and His great forgiveness."

Freeze also served as head coach at Arkansas State and NAIA program Lambuth before taking over at Ole Miss in 2012.