A pretty damning report has surfaced about the Auburn Football Program. It includes allegations of paying players, changing of grades, and recruit violations. None of this is really a surprise considering what else has come out about the program before and after their national title in 2011.
The report, published by Selena Roberts on her website, roopstigo.com, and reported on major media outlets such as ESPN has made some very damning accusations of NCAA rule violations and potentially illegal activity involving Auburn Police.
The report includes:
- Accusations that former Head Football Coach Gene Chizik attempted to bribe five of his players out of jail on an armed robbery charge. When he was unsuccessful, he then announced their dismissal from the team to the media before all the families of the players were notified.
- When parents of the players attempted to contact the police before the public announcement, they got the run-around saying, “We’re going to handle this internally. We’re not allowing the media to know; and we’re keeping it all under wraps here. Just stay there and wait to get a call from the coach.” and “We’re just waiting for Coach to come. This has been a big misunderstanding, a college prank gone wrong.”
- NCAA Rules state that you are only allowed to spend $50 dollars a day on entertaining a recruit. The report accuses Auburn football giving a player $500 to entertain then blue chip recruit Dre Kirkpatrick (Who ended up at Alabama and is now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals).
- Accusations that the Football Coaches forced professors and department heads to change the grades of nine players in order to be eligible for the 2011 National Title game including former runningback Mike Dyer, who had failed a class because of his lack of attendance.
- Accusations that the Coaching staff offered former wide receiver Darvin Adams and unspecified amount, expected to be in the thousands of dollars, to return for his senior season instead of going pro. Adams turned down the offer, but was un-drafted. Adams believes that mostly had to do with the negative reviews that the coaching staff gave NFL scouts about his personality as payback for not taking the money.
- Accusations that former Defensive Coordinator and Current Head Coach at the University of Florida Will Muschamp, gave a player $400 dollars after a bad day at practice. The funds were unsolicited by the player according to the report. Muschamp has denied the accusation.
- Accusations that Coach Chizik “randomly” drug tested the black players more often than the white players. Chizik is also accused of making a no dreadlocks rule directly targeted at the black players.
- The report states that over 40 players tested positive for recreational drugs after the 2011 National Title game, none were ever disciplined.
Any one of these accusations is enough to land the Auburn football program in hot water with the NCAA. The even bigger story is if former Head Coach Gene Chizik may be in trouble with the law if any of this can be proven. After being fired at the end of this past season, and bought out for 7.5 million dollars, Chizik is now a contributor at ESPN.
Don’t forget, that most of these NCAA rule violations would to lead to the 2011 National Title being vacated.