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Ole Miss apologizes for deleted Tweets making fun of ex-coach Hugh Freeze after beating Liberty

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter apologized after a pair of tweets sent from the school’s football account made fun of former coach Hugh Freeze after the Rebels' 27-14 win over Liberty on Saturday afternoon.

The game was Freeze's first at Ole Miss for the first time on Saturday since he resigned in 2017. He is now in his third season at Liberty.

“These tweets were unfortunate and not who we are in Ole Miss athletics," Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said, via ESPN. "When I found out about them, they were immediately taken down. I have spoken with [Liberty athletic director] Ian McCaw to relay my sincere apology. We will work to do better in the future."

Ole Miss deletes tweets targeting Hugh Freeze

The Ole Miss football Twitter account sent out two tweets after the win that have since been deleted — including one that showed Freeze coaching from a hospital bed, which he did in 2019 against Syracuse after dealing with a disc issue and a staph infection.

The other tweet was a spoof on a tweet Freeze sent in 2013 as he was the coach at Ole Miss encouraging potential NCAA violations to be reported to a compliance account at the school.

Freeze was at Ole Miss from 2012-16 and compiled a 39-25 record there. He resigned in 2017 after the school found at least one call from a school-issued cell phone to an escort service, something Freeze blamed on a “misdial.” The school later determined that Freeze had a “pattern of conduct” that was unacceptable, and he resigned. Ole Miss was placed on probation in 2017 by the NCAA for myriad violations under Freeze's watch and had a two-year bowl ban.

Current Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said he didn’t know about the tweets until after the game.

"I'm completely embarrassed that anyone would put something out there like that making it look like it was a part of Ole Miss football,” Kiffin said, via ESPN. “It was extremely disrespectful, bush league and classless, and I apologize, even though I had nothing to do with it, to Liberty and Hugh Freeze."

Though the tweets likely didn’t sit well with him, Freeze said Ole Miss fans had treated him well throughout the weekend.

Liberty Flames head coach Hugh Freeze
Hugh Freeze returned to Oxford for the first time on Saturday since he resigned from Ole Miss in 2017. (Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images)