Rebels LT Laremy Tunsil to return Oct. 24 vs. A&M

OXFORD — The Laremy Tunsil saga is finally over.

The Ole Miss star left tackle will serve a seven-game suspension after the NCAA determined he received impermissible benefits, the athletics department announced Monday night. Tunsil sat out the team’s first six games, meaning he’s eligible to return Oct. 24 against Texas A&M.

“I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made and want to thank everyone for their continued support,” he said in a news release. “I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and the entire Ole Miss family for how my choices affected our program. This was a learning experience, and I'm looking forward to being back on the field with my team and redeeming myself.

“The last 10 months have been a physical and mental battle for me, but I love playing this game more than anything else. I want to be here for my teammates who are depending on me to finish what we started together."

Benefits Tunsil received included the use of three loaner vehicles over a six-month period without payment, a four-month, interest-free promissory note on a $3,000 down payment for buying a used vehicle, two nights at a local home, an airline ticket purchased by a friend of a teammate and one-day use of a rental car, according to a news release.

Tunsil wasn’t forthcoming when initially questioned by the NCAA about the loaner vehicles, according to a news release, and later corrected his account and apologized.

The junior will have to pay the value of the extra benefits to a charity, perform community service and make the vehicle down payment.

“We have been supportive of Laremy throughout this process, and we are thankful he can return to competition starting with the Texas A&M game,” Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze said in a news release. “More important than his football ability is his character. I am confident that Laremy will grow from this experience and continue to be a positive member of the University and our football team.”

Ole Miss Rebels react to Laremy Tunsil's return

Chuck Rounsaville of Ole Miss Spirit first reported the news.

Freeze said last Saturday that the Ole Miss administration told him that “we should expect an answer hopefully next week sometime.” SEC Network’s Laura Rutledge reported Saturday morning that the Rebels would receive a response early this week.

“All I have been told is that we hope to get an answer early this week,” Freeze said at his weekly press conference Monday morning. “I’ve been told that the last couple of weeks. I think there is some confidence that we may get some type of answer this week sometime.”

Freeze added that Tunsil would “absolutely” start immediately once an ongoing NCAA investigation clears him.

Contact Daniel Paulling at dpaulling@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @DanielPaulling on Twitter.