We are nearing the moment when Ole Miss will release information about its response to NCAA allegations of misconduct in the football program, and that will signal the beginning of the end of a process that has gone on too long.

Almost half of Rebel head coach Hugh Freeze’s career has been tarnished by talk of NCAA investigation, something he called a “narrative.” That talk turned more serious early this year when the NCAA presented Ole Miss with its Notice of Allegations, detailing what it claims are serious infractions in the football program.

Ole Miss made clear that it does not agree with many of the charges the NCAA made and has been preparing its response to the allegations, which will be presented and hopefully publicly released. That moves us nearer to the end of this lengthy and agonizing process that will culminate with a NCAA hearing on the issues and a judgment day to follow close behind.

By sometime this fall we expect this saga to come to a close, and Ole Miss can get on with its business and the NCAA can go digging in another’s backyard.

We admire Ole Miss for fighting back against the NCAA. It is clear that administrators have not allowed either themselves or the university to be pushed around by the NCAA, and we can expect strong disagreement on some points of the accusations.

But, it is already clear that Ole Miss football has made mistakes, and the longer the process goes, the more punitive it becomes to the university’s reputation. That’s why we look forward to this all coming to a decisive end.