The NCAA Has Nothing on Laremy Tunsil and Ole Miss Unless They Cooperate

Laremy Tunsil is no longer an Ole Miss football player, but after a string of bizarre events during the first round of the NFL Draft, the Rebels seemingly have some questions to answer.

Someone hacked Tunsil's Instagram account Thursday night and posted what appear to be messages between him and a member of Ole Miss's athletic department, in which Tunsil asked for money to pay for his rent and some of his mother's bills:

man someone *really* doesn't like Laremy Tunsil. Here's his Instagram: — Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey)April 29, 2016

Not only do the texts show what looks like some sort of payment to Tunsil; they also seem to indicate that Ole Miss was giving him and his family an "agreed upon amount." That adds additional fuel to the preexisting speculation across college football that the Rebels' coaches are paying players. Those suspicions began in 2013, when Ole Miss uncharacteristically landed a number of five-star recruits, including Tunsil.

In his press conference after being drafted, Tunsil initially denied taking money from coaches. But then he authenticated the texts, and when asked again if he'd taken money, he said, "I'd have to say yeah."

Let's take a step back and acknowledge the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Ole Miss, which brought in $87 million in 2015, should be able to pay the rent for one of the players responsible for its improved football success. In fact, the school should be allowed to pay Tunsil a whole lot more—whatever it wants, since this is, after all, America. Instead, a talented young man with a rare and extremely valuable skill set worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has been forced to essentially beg his supervisors for rent money, and for petty cash to keep his mother's utility bills paid.

Oh, and the NCAA has brainwashed most of us into thinking that this is cool and good; that it's somehow unethical to help someone without the means to pay for basic necessities; and that, somehow, Tunsil has "sold out" his coaches by being, you know, honest about the whole situation. This is absurd.

But Ole Miss lives under the NCAA's amateurism rules, so now Ole Miss has to wonder what Tunsil's apparent admission means for its football program. The answer: probably not much.

Ole Miss has already been investigated by the NCAA for a number of recruiting and amateurism violations, including Tunsil's use of a loaner car from a dealership. Tunsil was suspended for seven games as a result. The Rebels said that they will investigate these new allegations, and will cooperate with the NCAA.

But unless the NCAA finds a smoking gun that we don't know about, it's unlikely the events of draft night will have a major effect on the program. That's because the NCAA has absolutely no ability to investigate without the cooperation of the parties involved—and even if they do cooperate, they aren't threatened with perjury if they lie.

Instead, here's how things will play out: First, the NCAA will ask to speak with Tunsil. He will undoubtedly decline, because the association can't punish him for refusing to cooperate now that he is in the NFL. That's important, because even with an on-video admission, the NCAA will not take any of Tunsil's words into account unless its enforcement staff can talk to him.

We've seen this before. In the North Carolina academic scandal case, former North Carolina basketball player Rashad McCants gave an interview saying that the basketball program had been complicit in helping him cheat in school. But since McCants chose not to meet with the NCAA, it did not take any of his words into account in its allegations against the school. Moreover, the association did not take into account an entire book about the scandal written by former UNC learning specialist Mary Willingham, nor did it follow the timetable of the scandal that was determined by a fairly voluminous independent report.

The NCAA needs Tunsil. Tunsil doesn't need the NCAA. That puts Ole Miss at a significant advantage when it comes to avoiding penalties.

Second, the NCAA will attempt to speak to Ole Miss staffers. Since Ole Miss is a member of the NCAA, its employees will need to speak with NCAA enforcement, but that doesn't mean the NCAA will gather anything on the Rebels, either.

One of the staffers mentioned in the texts, Barney Farrar, has already denied his involvement:

Ole Miss football support staffer Barney Farrar told me he has not given Laremy Tunsil money and that Tunsil did not ask him for any money.

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe)April 29, 2016

If the NCAA can't get its hands on proof, what's going to make Farrar change his story? He's not under oath.

Finally, the NCAA will try to get information—be it the texts, or interviews—from a third party. While the texts are damning if they can be independently authenticated, who knows if the NCAA can actually get them or do that?

For now and for the foreseeable future, Ole Miss has plausible deniability. The school can just claim Tunsil was confused on draft night—and really, who wasn't?—since he said earlier in his post-selection press conference that he had not received any payments. Moreover, those around Tunsil, such as his estranged stepfather, seem to be out to get him, which perhaps doesn't make them credible or reliable witnesses. Important note: the NCAA already has spoken to Tunsil's stepfather, and it doesn't appear to be on the verge of dropping a major punishment on the Ole Miss program.

Perhaps the NCAA will find evidence beyond the bizarre draft night bonanza and punish Ole Miss. Even if that happens, association punishments are wildly and randomly inconsistent. Meanwhile, conspiracy theories that the Rebels have a payroll for top recruits, a la SMU in the 1980s, remain just that—theories. (Besides, if Ole Miss does have a payroll that goes beyond scholarships, it appears that the school is getting players at a steep, steep discount from their actual value, which ought to be the real scandal here. You're making $87 million and your star employees are getting $300 handouts? Foxconn weeps with envy.)

Fear not, Ole Miss fans: if there's one good thing about the NCAA's upside-down notion of justice, it's that the association's enforcement arm can only punish athletes and schools if it gets their full cooperation. Otherwise, it has nothing.