A well-prepared Freeze accomplished his only goal in Hoover on Thursday: avoid making matters worse.
Most of the college football world has made up its mind about the alleged cheating going on in Oxford, and a few well-rehearsed talking points from the head coach wasn't going to change that. Indeed, Hugh Freeze had no way of improving his program's image in the eyes of a judgmental public -- but give him credit for not making things worse.
Dan Mullen's bumbling, tone-deaf defense of the Jeffery Simmons decisions on Tuesday underscored the reality that saying the wrong thing can certainly inflame a negative PR story, and Ole Miss' public handling of the NCAA drama has had its own mis-steps: Freeze issuing his infamous come-at-me-bro Twitter challenge, folks within the athletic program repeatedly leaking info that understated the allegations, Laremy Tunsil slipping up during his post-draft interview.