Hugh Freeze opens up on getting a second chance, how he's tried to earn trust back

Hugh Freeze just received a second chance with his return to SEC football. Recently the Auburn Tigers elected to hire Freeze as the new head coach for their football program. Some individuals are not fond of the former Ole Miss head coach getting a second chance to coach in the conference. But it appears as if Freeze will not let that bother him, as he recently thanked the school and conference leadership for allowing him this opportunity. Freeze also scoffed at the notion that SEC commissioner Greg Sankey forbade any SEC schools from bringing him back into the conference.

“I’m not sure that’s accurate about commissioner Sankey. I’ve had a really good, honest relationship with him through all of it,” said Freeze. “And I think he’s never done anything but shoot me dead straight and tell me what he thought was best not only for the conference but for me. And I appreciate the man that treats you like that, and I’m thankful for all of his leadership. I think it was the right move for me.

“As far as second chances, I don’t know anybody in this room that doesn’t deserve a second chance. And truthfully, if everybody’s life was documented as mine, it would probably be uncomfortable for a lot of people. I don’t know if ‘deserve’ is the word, but I sure am thankful for grace. And that I do get to keep fighting every day for another chance.”

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Freeze elected to resign from his post as the Rebels’ head coach back in the summer of 2017 after ‘a pattern of personal misconduct’ was discovered. Before his departure, Freeze brought an era of consistent football play on the field, following in the footsteps of his predecessor Houston Nutt. Still, his days with Ole Miss are in the past. And now his attention is focused solely on resurrecting an Auburn program that has seen better days.

Freeze gives thanks to Liberty, apologizes to Ole Miss

Before Freeze moved on to a different topic, he was sure to give his thanks to both previous programs he headed, Ole Miss and Liberty. And also apologized to the individuals that he might have let down because of his actions while coaching the Rebels.

“Well, the culture is going to be the same that we’ve created. I know that it works, and it wins. I had a great five years at Ole Miss. They were great to me; my stories were well documented. I let some people down, a lot of people down, and I’m very sorry for that. But I’ve spent the last six years trying to earn the respect and trust of my family, teams, administrations, and everyone that was around me. And that’s the lesson I probably learned. Just keep working to earn people’s trust. A lot of that that comes when they get to know you. If they just give you the chance to earn their trust.

“I’m thankful for Liberty for letting me earn that, and I think they would say in the guy served us well. And I want to do the same at Auburn.”