University of Mississippi head football coach Hugh Freeze had a great reputation over his five-year tenure at the school. A 2014 article about him in Bleacher Report was even titled, “Good Guys Finish 1st: The Hugh Freeze Story.”
Part of why he was so revered was because, like many Southern football coaches, he wasn’t just a coach. He was a man of deep faith. You wouldn’t read many articles about him that didn’t also mention his Christianity.
On Thursday, Freeze resigned from his job after public records revealed that the Ole Miss coach had used a university-issued phone to dial an escort service. (He said he called the wrong number.) There were other issues as well, including potential NCAA violations, but that detail got the most attention for obvious reasons. If he hadn’t resigned, he was going to get fired.
I don’t actually care about his personal life. What two adults do with each other in a consensual way is their business. But it’s the hypocrisy that’s so troubling. His preaching was so blatant, the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to Ole Miss administrators urging them to crack down on it. And all this time, while Freeze was extolling the virtue of God to the media and his players, he was living what he’d likely call a “life of sin.”
While Freeze was allegedly busy breaking NCAA rules and making phone calls to people he wasn’t ever going to recruit, here’s what he was tweeting using his official school account:
Dear God, I worship You today for the forgiveness of my sins, a love like no other, grace and acceptance, and the blessing of life!!
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) July 16, 2017
No, we won't understand all we face, and yes, God can confuse us at points, but it all has meaning and purpose. It's YOUR REDEMPTION STORY!
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) November 9, 2016
Thankful that through Christ every day is Independence Day – My chains are gone, I've been set free. My Savior God has ransomed me.
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) July 4, 2017
Stating it plainly..our hope is not found N our ability to endure, but in God's unshakeable commitment to never turn from His work of grace!
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) January 17, 2017
There is no chance whatsoever that promises of God, that you cling too, will fail you, because they were made by One who simply cannot lie.
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) February 12, 2017
God never looks in YOUR mirror and wishes He sees someone else!! Rejoice in that today. You are loved just as you are, U matter to Him.
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) February 25, 2017
It's Monday morning & God is on the throne.That means you and I are not which is a good thing. He is wise, loving and good. Have a good week
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) February 27, 2017
Today, I am still unable to stand before God based on my own merit so I CELEBRATE justifying grace that ensures I am 4ever accepted by Him!
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) October 27, 2016
It was my death YOU died, I am raised to life, HALLELUJAH THE LAMB OF GOD!!Because of You, I am Redeemed! It's Friday, but Sunday is coming!
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) March 25, 2016
God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go. Take a deep breathe & relax. Trust Him
— Hugh Freeze (@CoachHughFreeze) October 14, 2015
That’s just a sampling. It goes on for a while.
Ole Miss is on the lookout for a new coach. Let’s hope they can find one who doesn’t have to constantly declare his faith to the world because his actions speak for themselves.
(Screenshot via YouTube)
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