Jesus, seriously? Auburn = The Biblical Character Job

[Snaggletiger]

Personally, I think it's all bullshit.  No way can we be investigated again that soon after the NCAA cleared Auburn of anything and everything barely over a year ago.  More importantly, as many have said, the timing of this...Iron Bowl week and possible coaching/AD search is just tooooo damn ironic.  Not that news like this would have any effect on our play Saturday.  Absolute blood-letting.  But still.....

[AUChizad]

Personally, I think it's all bullshit.  No way can we be investigated again that soon after the NCAA cleared Auburn of anything and everything barely over a year ago.  More importantly, as many have said, the timing of this...Iron Bowl week and possible coaching/AD search is just tooooo damn ironic.  Not that news like this would have any effect on our play Saturday.  Absolute blood-letting.  But still.....

I think it's part that (old habits die hard), but mostly about creating a funk around our program to detract any decent coaching candidate from wanting to get caught up in a program amidst an NCAA investigation.

If it was a legitimate NCAA investigation, it could be that Auburn put this out there to get away scot-free without paying a buyout. The fact that I'm gagging on the smell of bullshit is what leads me to believe this is Bama-driven in a deliberate attempt to sabotage our coaching search.

I've said it a billion times, but it makes zero sense that we paid some 2 star nobody after we just had a colonoscopy from the NCAA and was cleared less than a year ago. Makes zero sense.

[dallaswareagle]

I can see where this is coming from, Knowing what we know about CGC and his coaching, I think the three wins this year set off alarms in the NCAA.

[AUTiger1]

The NCAA probe is believed to be more widespread than just Robinson, but is not believed to revisit the 2010 allegations involving former star quarterback Cam Newton – allegations Chizik and the school vigorously combated at the time. Auburn went on to win the national title that year after Newton was cleared by the NCAA late in the season.

I don't think the case has ever been closed on Jovon yet so there is technically still an "ongoing investigation".   As far the bold part above, someone on rivals is claiming that we have some ineligible guys on the BB team and they should be sitting due to grades.  Who knows, who cares?  Main thing is if anything comes of this is will all be secondary in nature and nothing major will happen.

[AUChizad]

"HOW THEY GON' GET 3 WINS UNLESS THEY CHEATIN' PAWL??"

It's just a broken fucking record at this point.

People just never learn. They honestly believe that after the 50 or so allegations on Auburn of the last year dissolved into absolutely nothing, that this is gonna be the one that finally nails us.

[Godfather]

If anyone is paying these players...they need a fucking refund.

[dallaswareagle]

If anyone is paying these players...they need a fucking refund.

Maybe they are planning a walk out before this weekend? 

[AUChizad]

http://www.wareagleextra.com/2012/11/21/report-yahoo-sports-has-sources-indicating-ncaa-is-investigating-auburn/

Report: Yahoo! Sports sources indicate NCAA has been investigating Auburn for weeks

AUBURN, Ala. — Yahoo! Sports senior columnist Pat Forde released a report Wednesday afternoon Auburn has been under investigation by the NCAA for several weeks.

There was not much new unveiled in Forde’s article, as the Memphis Commercial-Appeal and USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan have each discussed allegations regarding Auburn’s potential illegalities in recruiting running back Jovon Robinson, who is academically ineligible for the year.

“I’m not going to comment on any speculation out there,” Chizik said Wednesday. “It’s not a distraction to me. We haven’t thought one second about it. We’re right down the line on the Iron Bowl.”

Forde wrote, “According to multiple sources, NCAA investigators have spent weeks looking into potential improprieties involving Auburn recruits, players, coaches, representatives of the school’s athletic interests and third parties. Assistant coaches Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper have been scrutinized by the NCAA, sources said. Taylor is the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach, while Luper coaches running backs and is the recruiting coordinator.”

In a coinciding report, Charles Goldberg of the Birmingham News reported the NCAA interviewed “at least one Auburn assistant coach and several players on campus this week”, according to an unnamed source. Auburn has not received a formal letter of investigation from the NCAA, though the reported investigation is not limited to Robinson’s recruitment, the source said.

According to Yahoo!, NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn cannot comment on current, pending or potential investigations.

The timing of the follow-up report could have other ramifications, with Chizik’s position as Auburn’s head coach to be addressed immediately following the season finale Saturday. If university president Jay Gogue concludes his evalution by terminating Chizik, the fourth-year head coach would be owed $7.7 million (if he’s fired before Dec. 1) or $7.5 million (on or after Dec. 1).

However, in Chizik’s initial head contract, Paragraph 13 “Compliance with Policies, Rules and Regulations” states the following stipulations:

a) Coach will faithfully perform the duties and obligations of the position of Head Football Coach to the best of his ability, and Coach will conform to the policies, rules and regulations of University, its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, and to the rules and regulations of the SEC and the NCAA.

b) Coach will at all times exercise due care to assure that all persons under his supervision or subject to his control or authority as listed in Exhibit A to this Agreement, shall abide by said rules and regulations. Coach understands that he is responsible for the actions of all persons under his supervision or subject to his control or authority and further that he is responsible for monitoring the conduct of those persons under his supervision or subject to his control or authority, and he shall further observe and respect the principles of institutional control of every aspect of the athletic programs of Auburn.

d) In the event an investigation is instituted by Auburn, the SEC or the NCAA into alleged major rules violations or significant or repetitive violations involving Coach and/or the football program, during the pendency of the investigation, University shall have the right, after written notice to Coach, to suspend payment of any amount owed to Coach under Paragraph 15 or Paragraph 16.

Then in Paragraph 18, “Termination of Employment by Auburn University”, it explicitly states if “the University elect to terminate Coach’s employment prior to the end of this Agreement for cause as defined in paragraph 13 above, then University owes no further payment of funds or other benefit to Coach under this Agreement and will be deemed to have fully satisfied its obligations to Coach” up to that point in time.

No significant changes were made to those clauses in Chizik’s restructured contract in June 2011.

Since Auburn has not officially been notified by the NCAA of an investigation, that all is moot for the moment. But it’s something to watch if the NCAA officially states any involvement.

The Tigers (3-8, 0-7 SEC) are preparing to play No. 2 Alabama Saturday in the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.

[AUChizad]

http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/PMARSHONAU-QA-on-reported-NCAA-investigation-102768

#PMARSHONAU: Q&A on reported probe
Phillip Marshall

Three days before the Iron Bowl, Auburn is in the news again regarding a reported NCAA investigation.
Auburn Tigers

Most, if not all, of what was reported in a Yahoo report was old news that has been widely known and reported since running back Jovon Robinson of Memphis was ruled ineligible by Auburn officials last August in the wake of accusations that a grade had been changed on his high school transcript.

What is new today is a report by Charles Goldberg of The Birmingham News that players and at least one coach had been interviewed by NCAA investigators.

Here are some questions and answers about what we know:

Q: Has Auburn received any kind of letter of inquiry

A: According to sources who would absolutely know, it has not.

Q: Is the NCAA looking into other matters besides Robinson?

A: No. Of course, when NCAA investigators are around, there is always concern that they will turn over a rock and find something other than what they are looking for.

Q: Why were assistants Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper taken off the road?

A: The widely held assumption is was because of the Memphis matter. However, I have also been told it could be a self-imposed Auburn penalty because of a self-reported secondary violation. Which is it? At this point, I can't say for sure.

Q: Is there hard evidence of wrongdoing by Taylor or Luper?

A: Not that we know of at this point. If the NCAA had hard evidence, it's likely they would have been removed from the field, not just the road. If you recall, a Mississippi State assistant coach was fired because of alleged NCAA violations in Memphis last summer.

Q: Could this hurt Chizik's chances of returning next season as head coach?

A: It can't help.

Q: Could this negatively impact Auburn's search for a new coach should Chizik be dismissed?

A: That's certainly possible. For sure, Auburn officials will have questions to answer from prospective candidates.

Q: Will this be a long process like the Cam Newton investigation?

A: Not likely unless something else turns up.

Q: Would Auburn face devastating sanctions should it be found that a coach knew or should have known a grade was changed?

A: That's impossible to say with any certainty, but if it was found to be an isolated incident and not a pattern, it's not likely that sanctions would be program-destroying.

Q: Would it help Auburn's case if any coaches found to have committed wrongdoing were no longer employed at Auburn?

A: It could help, but it certainly wouldn't mean Auburn got a free pass.

[Buzz Killington]

Now I completely understand why some of you don't want Petrino.  I'd hate to ruin the great run we have had with the media over the last few years.

[AUChizad]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8661192/ncaa-investigating-auburn-recruiting-assistant-coaches-sources-say

Sources: NCAA investigating Auburn
Updated: November 21, 2012, 5:34 PM ET
By Joe Schad and Mark Schlabach | ESPN.com

The NCAA has been investigating the recruitment of players courted by Auburn assistants Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper, according to several sources.

Yahoo! Sports reported Wednesday that Taylor and Luper are not actively recruiting for the school at the present time. Auburn coach Gene Chizik has declined comment when asked specifically about whether his coaches had been pulled from the recruiting trail.

One of the players whose recruitment is being examined is running back Jovon Robinson, sources said. A former Memphis high school guidance counselor found to have changed the grades of an Auburn football recruit told ESPN that she altered the grades at the request of a fellow teacher.

Yvette Lynch, 62, who said she retired as a counselor at Wooddale High School in May to care for her ailing husband and mother, wouldn't specifically identify the teacher who she says instructed her to change Robinson's academic transcript.

But when Lynch was asked whether Wooddale physical education teacher Rhonda Wilkinson instructed her to change Robinson's grades, Lynch smiled and told a reporter, "No comment." Later, when Lynch was asked why she changed Robinson's grades, she said: "You already said her name. Go talk to her."

The NCAA declared Robinson academically ineligible after Lynch and another Wooddale guidance counselor admitted to changing one or more grades on his transcript.

Robinson, who was ranked the country's No. 20 running back prospect by ESPN RecruitingNation, was enrolled in classes at Auburn this past summer, but withdrew from school and returned to his mother's home in Memphis.

The website al.com reported Wednesday that at least one Auburn assistant coach and several players were interviewed by the NCAA this week as part of the investigation. Citing "someone familiar with the situation," al.com said the investigation "is not limited to the recruitment of Robinson."

Auburn is 3-8 heading into Saturday's game against Alabama. Last week, Auburn president Jay Gogue said he will evaluate Chizik's job status at the end of the season.

Chizik said he would not talk about the reported investigations.

"I'm not going to comment on any speculation out there," Chizik said, speaking to reporters in Alabama. "I will talk about the Iron Bowl and Alabama."

Chizik said the stories are not a distraction.

"We haven't thought one second about it," he said. "We're right down the line on the Iron Bowl."

Chizik would not confirm if the NCAA was in Auburn this week.

"Again, I'm not going to comment on any speculation about any of that," Chizik said.

In late August, Valerie Starks-Sykes, another Wooddale guidance counselor, admitted making changes to Robinson's transcripts and told Memphis City Schools officials that she was "certain someone had asked her to make the changes but was reluctant to name anyone who may have been involved," according to an email obtained by the Memphis Commercial-Appeal.

Starks-Sykes resigned from the school on Aug. 9. Multiple attempts by ESPN to reach her for comment have been unsuccessful.

Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to ESPN that among the things the NCAA is attempting to determine is what role, if any, Wilkinson might have had in the alteration of Robinson's transcripts and his recruitment by the Tigers.

In September, when Wilkinson was approached by ESPN and told that Lynch indicated she asked for Robinson's grades to be changed, Wilkinson denied the accusation. Wilkinson, a lifetime wellness and physical science teacher at the school, did confirm to ESPN that she traveled with Robinson to Auburn on one of his unofficial recruiting visits during his senior year.

"He rode with me one time when I was already going myself," Wilkinson said.

An avid Auburn football fan, Wilkinson has been seen leaving Wooddale carrying an Auburn lunch box. Her Jeep has Auburn seat covers and her home is decorated with a blue and orange doormat and mailbox.

Memphis Central High School coach Lynord Crutchfield, who coached Robinson at Wooddale during his junior and seniors seasons, said he met with an NCAA investigator last month about Robinson's transcripts. Crutchfield said the NCAA became aware something was amiss when Auburn officials submitted a transcript to the NCAA Eligibility Center that was different from the one Notre Dame had for the player.

Tina Wardlow, Robinson's mother, said she was unaware her son's grades had been changed until Auburn officials called her late this past summer. Wardlow said she also didn't know Robinson was academically ineligible to play at an FBS school until his grades were altered.

"Why would you change his grades?" Wardlow asked. "If he was failing, why wouldn't you call me to indicate that there was a problem so I could fix it?"

Robinson declined to be interviewed by ESPN reporters, but relayed a comment through his older sister, Kiva: "I don't have any comment, just know the 2013 season is going to be hell."

"In other words, it's a setback for a comeback," sister Kiva Wardlow said.

Robinson's 2012 Dodge Challenger, which is painted with blue and orange stripes down the truck and has a big Auburn sticker in the rear window, also raised a red flag for NCAA officials.

According to Tennessee Department of Motor Vehicle records, Robinson purchased the car in April. Robinson's mother told ESPN that he used money from a settlement in the shooting death of his father to purchase the car.

Memphis police shot Jeffery Robinson, a gravedigger and cemetery caretaker, during a botched drug raid in July 2002. Acting on a tip from an informant, police kicked in the door of the outbuilding where Robinson was living and shot him through the neck and jaw. He was paralyzed from the shooting and died of complications from pneumonia six weeks later.

A jury found that Memphis police planted evidence to show Robinson lunged at them with a box cutter. A jury awarded his family $2.85 million in damages, but settled for $1.1 million. As one of Jeffery Robinson's five children, Jovon Robinson received about $145,000 from the settlement after attorney fees.

According to records obtained from Shelby County (Tenn.) Probate Court, Robinson took possession of more than $135,000 from a trust account in April 2012, after he graduated from Wooddale.

"That's what he wanted," Wardlow said. "He has a right to have what he wanted. Everybody has a right to have what they want. I know he's a target right now, but he has the right to have it."

[Godfather]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8661192/ncaa-investigating-auburn-recruiting-assistant-coaches-sources-say

Joe Schad

Writer of a story about another story.



/yawn

[Godfather]

Que Thamel/Thayer article in 3...2....

[AUChizad]

Joe Schad

Writer of a story about another story.



/yawn

He couldn't do it on his own. It took the combined efforts of him AND Schlabaugh to write a rehash of a rehash of a rehash of the wishful thinking that was Camgate.

[WiregrassTiger]

Personally, I think it's all bullshoot.  No way can we be investigated again that soon after the NCAA cleared Auburn of anything and everything barely over a year ago.  More importantly, as many have said, the timing of this...Iron Bowl week and possible coaching/AD search is just tooooo damn ironic.  Not that news like this would have any effect on our play Saturday.  Absolute blood-letting.  But still.....

I am admittedly a black helicopter kind of guy in many respects, including this one. Mark A. Emmert( head of NCAA) was chancellor at LSU--I believe when St. Nick was hired there. They are reported friends. I have heard "close" friends. Like, close enough that a phone call could prob sway the timing of a leak about an ongoing investigation by a few days or weeks. Who would ever know?

[Townhallsavoy]

Joe Schad chimed in?

Yeah.  I'm out.  Wake me up if the NCAA actually says anything. 

[AWK]

Such a waste of time.  Fuck these people.

[Pell City Tiger]

The T-Town Menswear shit was NBD, but we're about to get nailed to the wall for an Auburn fan PE teacher giving a kid a ride?

Yeah, and Darren Woodruff was regularly hauling this guy down to Tuscaloosa, without so much as a second glance from anyone else. Basically kidnapped the kid and drove him down to a booster's condo in Pensacola just before NSD.

 

[Yoda]

Listened to a bit of Finebaum he and a caller stated that as of this morning Malzahn had the job.  They also said not any more since he is associated with the coaches in question.  It has been stated a number of times this week that half the PTB want Malzhan and JJ wants him, and the other half want Petrino.  Paul also stated that this should cost JJ his job and that Petrino looks like a better choice.

I seriously hope that one of the PTB leaked this info to get his way.

[jmar]

Listened to a bit of Finebaum he and a caller stated that as of this morning Malzahn had the job.  They also said not any more since he is associated with the coaches in question.  It has been stated a number of times this week that half the PTB want Malzhan and JJ wants him, and the other half want Petrino.  Paul also stated that this should cost JJ his job and that Petrino looks like a better choice.

I seriously hope that one of the PTB leaked this info to get his way.

Same here.
 The news of this old Yahoo report tells us nothing that wasn't already leaked weeks ago. It could very well be a power play to at least wound Jacobs as Chizik departs knowing that backing could turn with more (perceived) negatives attached to the program. But if this is true then that person(s) would almost certainly know that no serious charge will be brought against Auburn.  Maybe a stretch?