Hugh Freeze refutes report his Auburn contract stipulates giving up social media access

After news broke that Auburn is hiring Hugh Freeze as its next head coach, a report surfaced saying he gave up control of his social media accounts. He addressed that directly during his Tuesday press conference.

Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde initially reported Freeze relinquished the control of his social media as part of his contract with the Tigers. He denied that Tuesday morning, joking about how hard that would be for anyone in this digital age.

“No, that’s not accurate,” Freeze said. “I mean, how could you in this day and time? I think there may be wisdom in it, though.”

Forde wrote about the apparent clause Monday, citing sources who told him Freeze would have to stay off social media as part of his deal.

“Multiple sources say Freeze has agreed to relinquish control of his social media accounts when he becomes the Auburn coach,” Forde wrote. “The background check on Freeze was extensive, and the school hired a P.R. consultant to handle the expected blowback in bringing him aboard. They are jumping through a lot of hoops for Freeze.

“As one source with Auburn ties said Sunday, ‘If he’s contractually obligated to stay off social media and they had to hire an Oh S— firm before he even started, is hiring him really a good idea?’”

More on the reported social media clause in Hugh Freeze’s contract

The situation is extremely unusual for one of the newest major players on the SEC coaching scene, but appears to be a result of Freeze’s history with social media. The report points to a pair of incidents involving Freeze using social media in ways that brought further scrutiny to scandals surrounding his former programs.

While battling a number of issues before his exit from Ole Miss, Freeze used Twitter to let people know how to contact the Ole Miss compliance office, and sent a direct message to a former Liberty student who was involved in a Title IX lawsuit against the school. Although Freeze was not involved in the lawsuit, he messaged an alleged victim of sexual assault in defense of the program’s athletic director.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.