Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze was asked about a photo circulating on the internet that claims to feature star defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche smoking marijuana from a bong. Freeze, citing student privacy laws, would not comment on the photo's authenticity but acknowledged that he was "aware" of the photo and felt confident in the program's drug testing policies.
"I'm very aware of the picture and also when it was taken and where it was taken," Freeze said via The Clarion-Ledger. "We test our entire team on our drug-testing policy at the beginning of the season and then we have our follow-up tests throughout the course of the year. I'm super confident we handled each one the same and we enforce our policy very consistently."
The exact origins of the photo are unknown, but plenty of Tennessee fans have drawn attention to the photo online early this week in an apparent attempt to jeopardize Nkemdiche's playing status. It is no coincidence that the Vols play No. 3 Ole Miss on Saturday.
"Our kids make social decisions all the time, just like my kids do, and I've made mistakes," Freeze said. "We are going to help them navigate life, but we're going to hold them accountable for actions that are not what we want representing our university, or program or themselves. I'm very confident that we deal with all of them in the same manner."
