Thursday morning saw the announcement that Ole Miss will receive their NCAA COI punishments within 24 hours, with an anticipated release deadline of 8:30 a.m. CT. The news was further accompanied by a bevy of scoops detailing what transpired in Covington, Kent. back in September, where Ole Miss faced the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, and Mississippi State linebacker Leo Lewis was the NCAA’s star witness in their case against Ole Miss’ recruiting practices.
In the hours following those reports, the Ole Miss Spirit released audio of Lewis’ mother seemingly admitting that LSU and Mississippi State had offered her and Leo tens of thousands of dollars to play for their respective football programs.
That audio up top comprises the crux of the tape, wherein Lewis’ mother, Tina Henderson, says that LSU and Mississippi State offered her son “60” and “80,” respectively. Make of that what you will. Here’s a partial transcript, courtesy of the Ole Miss Spirit:
Barney Farrar: “I want you to be careful with them folks calling you, now. Don’t let them folks get you and Nino [nickname for Lewis] in trouble, now.”
Henderson: “I know. [Laughter] I said next time Barney calls, I’m going to have to ask how much money he’s going to pay, ‘cause everybody’s calling wanting to spend some money.”
Farrar: “I know it.”
Henderson: “Like I say, I don’t know nothing about all this recruiting and recruiting and stuff. I’m just now learning. But I hope I don’t ever have to go through it again.”
Farrar: “You’re not going to have to go through it again, Tina.”
Henderson: “I hope I don’t ever have to go through it again with them grand babies. I told (indecipherable) she’ll have to go through that herself.”
Farrar: “Well, here’s what I’m going to say. What did you say LSU, they threw what figure out?”
Henderson: “Uh …”
Farrar: “60?”
Henderson: “60.”
Farrar: “Yeah.”
Henderson: “And Mississippi State, 80.”
How, when, where and what will tailspin out of this audio release is anyone’s guess, but given the NCAA’s acute nose for recruiting violations evidence spilling out onto the internet, one would be surprised if not even a cursory investigation was opened here. We’ll continue to update this post throughout the evening.