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Ole Miss sitting Laremy Tunsil in opener pending NCAA investigation

By Patrick Schmidt

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Ole Miss is sitting Laremy Tunsil in the Rebels opener for precautionary measures for a “pending matter” with the NCAA.

One of the nation’s top offensive linemen will be out of action as Hugh Freeze and the Ole Miss Rebels are benching Laremy Tunsil in the opener against UT Martin as they cooperate with the NCAA after Tunsil’s stepfather accused the All-SEC left tackle of accepting improper gifts from agents.

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“As a precautionary measure, we are withholding Laremy Tunsil from today’s game until the pending process can be completed,” the school said in a statement, via the Clarion-Ledger. “We are cooperating fully with the NCAA and feel this is the best way to protect Laremy, our football program and the university.”

This stems from a summer incident when Tunsil and his stepfather got into an altercation at their home and Tunsil hit his stepfather who later accused his stepson of running off with agents, which prompted the NCAA to meet with the stepfather and Ole Miss started an investigation.

If Tunsil played in the opener and later was ruled to have accepted improper benefits, Ole Miss would have to vacate the win, and considering the Rebels can win convincingly against the FCS opponent, it’s not worth the risk to play Tunsil today.

But if Ole Miss expects to compete for the SEC West division title, they’ll need Tunsil who is projected to be a top-10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft should he declare after his junior season.

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