APLather, rinse, repeat, right?
Late last month, reports indicated that Auburn had taken a pair of assistant coaches off the recruiting trail, with the intimation being that, once again, the football program had found itself in the NCAA’s crosshairs. Less than a month later, that appears to be exactly the case.
According to Yahoo! Sports‘ Pat Forde, and citing multiple sources, “NCAA investigators have been working for weeks on potential improprieties involving Auburn recruits, players, coaches, representatives of the school’s athletic interests and third parties.” And the assistants on head coach (for now) Gene Chizik’s staff under scrutiny for the past several weeks? Ace recruiters Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper.
The NCAA’s latest peek into the program revolves around 2012 signee Jovon Robinson, although al.com is reporting that the investigation goes beyond just a single player.
In August, AU confirmed that Robinson was being held out of summer camp as part of an academic investigation into allegations that his high school transcript had been falsified. Less than a week later, Robinson was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after it was determined that a Memphis Wooddale High School guidance counselor had indeed altered the transcript.
Robinson is not currently enrolled at Auburn.
Forde’s report did not state the specific reason why the NCAA is looking into Auburn football other than the program’s recruitment of Robinson. You can connect the dots, however, as to which direction this probe is headed as it pertains to the falsified transcript and the two AU coaches’ involvement in Robinson’s recruitment.
Of course, this is not the first time the NCAA has come sniffing around The Plains during Chizik’s time at the school. Infamously, the NCAA investigated allegations of impermissible benefits received by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, concluding in October of 2011 that “the enforcement staff “has not substantiated any… violations.” Additionally, the football program was investigated in relation to damning accusations made by former players during an HBO “real Sports” episode; for its recruiting practices; and for the “Tiger Prowl” recruiting caravan.
The university has yet to receive a formal letter of investigation from the NCAA, al.com wrote.
Chizik has been under fire in general the past two seasons and specifically this year for the Tigers’ subpar on-field performance that’s morphed into laughably abysmal in 2012. The off-field situations will do nothing but exacerbate the pressure on Chizik and will, in all likelihood, be the final nail in his AU coaching coffin.
Auburn is going from bad to worse! Terrible season…Terrible coach…..Now NCAA is after them. Couldn’t happen to a better school.
ROLL TIDE!!!
This will not only be the final nail in Chizik’s coffin, it should also put an end to Jay Jacob’s disastrous tenure as AD when it looked like he would survive this season. Auburn athletics have taken a tumble across the board the last few years, and Jacobs bears much of the responsibility for that. Of course, AU President Jay Gouge and his “hands off” policy towards the athletics department have not helped matters, as well as the lack of any member of the Board of Trustees willing to stand up and fill the gaping leadership void that currently exists on the Plains.
Of bigger concern to Auburn will be the anticipated coaching search. With the potential for serious sanctions floating overhead, any decent coach is going to demand the same deal that Alabama gave to Nick Saban to get him to come to Tuscaloosa: a six-to-eight year deal worth somewhere in the $5 million per year range, all of it guaranteed (meaning Auburn would still have to pay the balance of the contract if he were to be fired for non-performance). Whether Auburn would be interested in offering such a deal–and who might be interested in taking it–would be interesting to see.
If oversigning and treating recruiting like free agency was an NCAA violation the entire SEC would be investigated.
Chizik should be fired though, you cannot revamp your offense and defense while still having players recruited to run a completely different scheme. Your coaches have to be able to adapt.
It’s wrong if it’s true, but come on…Everyone does it
Recruit Memphis at your own peril. Lots of talent there, but lots of corruption in the HS football programs.
Here are a few candidates for the AD job: Paul Finebaum, The Pastor Newton, Donna “Shalala”, or Tammy from the Finebaum Show. This is not the kind of publicity Mike Slive strives for. This is a renegade school that will always be under scrutiny as well it should.
They must have missed Trent Richardson’s $60,000 ride at Alabama….RTR!!
@thegamecocker
I would be mad too, if I were you. Being that when they play y’all they beat the HELL outta ya! With that being said: Go suck the fat one!!
@ebrownwareagle
You must be Jacobs or Chizeks father-in-law. Man upstairs has ways of getting back at those who cheat and lie. And your school and administrators / coaches do just that. We played Auburn 3 times and were beaten badly once. Ya’ll be back again and next time we won’t miss. Everyone knows you’re NC is flawed, much like yourself. Regarding your last comment, not going to stoop that low. But if that’s how you roll, enjoy yourself. BTW, how’s going to feel after The Tide whips your sorry asses on Saturday and your whore eagle winds up 0-8 in the SEC? That’s quite an achievement 2 years after your “faux” NC.
Awwwwww . . . . .
Who’d a thunk it?
@thegamecocker
A WE SUCK!! And yall ranked in the TOP 10!! Wonderful! AND YA STILL WON’T HAVE ANY HARDWARE TO SHO FOR IT!! Meanwhile 2010 NC! Now take YA ball; go home!
@thegamecocker
FYI: I’d rather have a flawed Diamond than a Perfect Cubic Zirconia any Day! With That….
WAR EAGLE
Chizik will be fired in due time after December 2nd,if hes fired before that date it will cost Auburn an extra 3 million due to his contract.Chiz would get 7 million but on December 3rd it will only cost Auburn 4 million (contract).No formal letter of investigation has been sent so it means little till then.
@ the gamecocker
South Carolina got as far to a National Championship when they lost to Auburn in the SEC Championship ( that year they lost twice).Someday the Cocks will win one when they start flying cars.
Tough year for SEC. Ark, Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ole Miss, MSU, Vandy & Mizzou range from embarrassing to non-threatening. Mix those teams in w/ a schedule full of FCS and Sun Belt schools and it even hurts respectable teams like Bama.
Hilarious..Auburn fans lacing into Tiger fans. As if Alabama football players could spell their name without a tutor
ebrownwareagle says:
Nov 21, 2012 6:22 PM
@thegamecocker
A WE SUCK!! And yall ranked in the TOP 10!! Wonderful! AND YA STILL WON’T HAVE ANY HARDWARE TO SHO FOR IT!! Meanwhile 2010 NC! Now take YA ball; go home!
——-
I would be careful and not talk any smack about 2010 until about 2020. You never know when your “hardware” could be yanked for the Scam Newton fiasco. After about 10 years, you may be able to “cautiously” mention your team won a NC in the past.
smcgaels1997:
I agree. It’s almost as hilarious as someone who means to say, “Alabama fans lacing into Tiger fans,” but who manages to misspell Alabama as Auburn.
Dirtpeckers don’t have a clue.
Scam tearing it up in nfl. Haha. Fraud. Just like auburn football. But at least u have a basketball powerhouse. Haha. Auburn suxs
[sarcasm] – I say don’t extend his contract and make him stay there 3 more years through the probation. It would save them a lot of money, and they probably won’t win many games, anyway…
Heck, teams are jumping conferences for 7 million dollars…
[/sarcasm]
~Jim
@ebrownwareagle
LOL! You win. Until South Carolina beats Auburn, I’ll quit. But y’all cheat and know it. Chizek a fraud of a coach though. And he has no character.
It is about time. Cam Newton’s dad was trying to sell Cam’s services to a school. The fact Cam chose another school was irrelevant. He broke a serious rule with no repercussions.
Chris Mills received a shoebox full of money at KU and it derailed his college career. He transferred to AZ and had a modest career in the NBA.
Reggie Bush’s family took a loan to buy a house. I don’t believe it was proved Reggie was involved in the loan. I could be wrong.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If you blast Bush for one thing and then overlook completely Cam Newton’s dad trying to sell Cam’s services to schools, one in particular. What is the difference. Cam should not have gotten the pass and should have had to
give up his heisman too. But wait, that is the SEC. We can’t go after one of those schools now can we? But the west coast bias is open season.
I wonder what kind of shenanigans Chizik was doing at UT? Better give back the 2005 National Championship.
I love stories like this.
Go Irish.
Vacate. Vacate. Vacate. Alabama…you’re next. The entire SEC should have a thorough investigation (besides the newcomers and Vandy of course). Their players are so dumb, no way they are legitimately academically eligible to play football.
taintedlombardis – Another SEC hater that obviously is a fan of a team that the SEC destroyed. Just keep hating and we will keep beating your little teams and winning National Championships.
Umm, ebrownwareagle? Gamecocker just destroyed you. Not even close.
——————–
Dear University of Auburn,
Unfortunately your investigation will be delayed indefinitely as a result of the majority of our staff being buried by the depth of the investigation at the giant steaming shit pile known as The University of Miami. Thank you in advance. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
-The NCAA
taintedlombardis:
Does the “taint” in your name refer to the smell coming from your nether regions? Or is it just the odor of jealousy wafting across the Internet because of the steaming mountain of suck that you cheer for? Just curious.
Irish fans always dreamed of being able to go to a blog and post anything ND lol.Since the Building of the ND school team and fans have lived in darkness trying to reach #1 in the nation.I guess its ok for fans now be able to speak for themselves and the generations of fans before them.Its ok to glot abit cause soon ND will go back to being nothing but a bottom feeder and loser of a team.Fans look back the last several seasons and count the National Championships the SEC has in a row.We are the best conference in college football and besides Bama will still reach the Playoffs.Bama will raise the crystal ball once again.Roll Tide.
What are the incredibly dumb SEC fans going to say when “six in a row” becomes “0″? They only saving grace for your minor league football conference is it is a cash cow. Student athletes? No one believes that shit when it comes to the SEC. The NCAA (along with others with a monied interest – see ESPN) will never slice it’s own throat.
tainted:
We will say the obvious: that no one will ever accomplish such a streak again, barring a single team making an incredible run. That’s what makes that streak all the more incredible, that it has seen four different teams win it all, as opposed to just one or two programs. All good things must come to an end…but this particular good thing still has life for now.
Oh, and one other thing, it occurs to me that if a fan of an SEC school were to make comments about about another conference’s players being “so dumb” that people would immediately state that it was a thinly-veiled way of saying “black players.” So with that in mind, what klavern do you belong to? Have you made Imperial Wizard yet, or have you become a Grand Cyclops over your state’s Klan, like David Duke did in Louisiana? Inquiring minds want to know.
Anybody thought about this angle? Auburn gets out of the buyout if the program comes under investigation for “major violations”. That is my understanding of a clause in his contract. Possible that AU themselves worked out some deal to turn on him and his staff in exchange for a “slap on the wrist” penalty. Sacrificing a few scholarships for 2 years in exchange for saving $7.5 million doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me.
Jimbo75025
Sounds like a deal to me! If Cam’s “pastard” father were to try and shop him around today, Cam would be INELIGIBLE at any college! The NCAA changed the bylaws to include this provision. Auburn erects a statue for a punk who never even attended a class. Is this what a college “education” has come to? How sad.
@kozbee
Brian Kelly should have been fired or resigned when that student Manager was killed by wind storm when filming practice. Yea, that’s how the “fighting irish” roll. Look the other way. Win at all cost. Shameful!