On Wednesday, former Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze made his first public appearance since resigning as the team’s football coach in July by speaking to students at Liberty University.
#LUConvo welcomes @CoachHughFreeze, @JillFreeze, and @Chip_henderson! Watch live at 10:30 a.m. 📺: https://t.co/4sbMDdvvQ2 pic.twitter.com/SzthHvgYa1
— Liberty University (@LibertyU) January 24, 2018
Freeze showed remorse and asked for forgiveness in speaking to the students and faculty.
“I had to say to people that I loved, ‘I am sorry, please forgive me,” Freeze said during the school’s Convocation. “And today is really the first day I can tell the faith family, ‘I am sorry, please forgive me.'”
Freeze, who was accompanied by his wife, Jill, and their pastor, Chip Henderson, spoke for about 20 minutes followed by a Q+A with David Nassar, host of the Liberty Convocation.
“My world got rocked in 2017 and all the walls came crumbling down,” Freeze said. “In what I thought was a private sin that I had struggled with, confessed to my wife, to two of my friends in 2016, what I thought was private, became public knowledge in July of 2017.”
Hugh Freeze began to question whether his faith was real and ask himself if he could have a genuine faith and come back from a struggle in sin and brokenness.
“When my walls came crumbling down around me, the faith that I stand on through the son of God, Jesus Christ,” Freeze said. “It is a solid rock. A solid foundation. And when all hell is breaking loose around you and everybody has their opinion about what is going on, and you know that you’ve hurt the heart of God, His love never changes. Ever.”
You can watch the entire speech from Hugh Freeze below.
Hugh’s wife Jill Freeze also spoke saying that the forgiveness she offered to her husband was the first step to her own healing for what he had done.
“I’ve lived with him for 25 years,” Jill Freeze said. “This man is the godliest man I have ever known. I am who I am in Christ because of this man and the impact and influence he has had on me. I know this man, and I know his heart. I know he loves God, and I know he’s going to do what it takes to get right with God.”
Freeze coached at Ole Miss from 2012 until his resignation in July of 2017. He said that despite the trials that came their way in 2017, he is looking ahead to brighter days in 2018 and beyond.
“My mind is set. It is settled. My eyes are clear. My heart is full,” said Freeze. “My feet are pointed forward. And I am looking forward, with thanksgiving, to what God has for me and my family next, because of His great love, and His great forgiveness.”
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” – Ephesians 1:7
