Quick Hitters
Hugh Freeze resigns as Ole Miss football coach
Mississippi football coach Hugh Freeze resigned Thursday after university officials found a “pattern of personal misconduct” that started with the school’s investigation into a call to an escort service.
Freeze’s resignation brings a stunning end to a five-year tenure that saw a Sugar Bowl victory, but also a wide-ranging NCAA investigation into rules violations. His ultimate downfall came after school officials investigated Freeze’s phone records and found misconduct.
“In our analysis, we discovered a pattern of conduct that is not consistent with our expectations as the leader of our football program,” athletic director Ross Bjork said. “As of yesterday, there appeared to be a concerning pattern.”
Bjork said the school’s investigation started last week after an outside Freedom of Information request revealed a concerning phone call that lasted less than a minute. The school then looked into the rest of his phone records and found more problems.
Bjork said Freeze “admitted the conduct” and that the coach offered his resignation Thursday afternoon. When pressed to explain Freeze’s conduct, Bjork said the school needed to “protect that information.”
“His privacy is important,” Bjork said. “The conduct was just not something we could continue with as our head coach.”
Freeze’s university cell phone records obtained by The Associated Press show a 1-minute call made on Jan. 19, 2016, to a Detroit-based number. An internet search shows the number linked to a site that offers various escort services.
“I’ve got no idea, to be honest,” Freeze told Yahoo Sports, which first reported the nature of the call. “I was in an 813 area code and that was a 313 number, I think that might have been a misdial. I don’t think there was even a conversation. There’s nothing to it.”
Co-offensive coordinator Matt Luke has been named the interim coach.
Pizarro’s goal gives Mexico 1-0 win over Honduras
GLENDALE — A goal by Rodolfo Pizarro just over three minutes into the game was all the offense Mexico could muster but it was enough for a 1-0 victory over Honduras on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
While its offense bogged down, Mexico survived several near-misses by Honduras in the second half.
The victory in front of 37,404 at University of Phoenix Stadium moved Mexico into a semifinal match against Jamaica in the Rose Bowl on Sunday. It’s a rematch of the championship game of the last Gold Cup, a 3-1 Mexico victory in 2015.
Mexico and Jamaica played to a 0-0 draw this year in the Gold Cup group stage.
The United States plays Costa Rica on Saturday in Arlington, Texas, in the other semifinal.
The Mexican team was without several top players who had played in the recently completed Confederations Cup in Russia.
Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio said Wednesday that he had planned to bring some of those players to the Gold Cup but was thwarted by “our bosses and their clubs.”
Only one of the 23 players on Mexico’s roster played in the Confederations Cup.
Osorio again was not on the sideliner Thursday night. He was serving the fourth of a six-game FIFA suspension for using “insulting words” to an official during a Confederations Cup match July 2.
Osorio watched from suite high above the field. His suspension would end with the Gold Cup championship game if Mexico wins its semifinal.
Two slick passes inside the penalty area led to Mexico’s goal in the fourth minute of the game.