DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Auburn Tigers might be in trouble

Auburn's football program altered grades to ensure eligibility, offered "several thousand dollars" to entice would-be draft picks to return for their senior seasons and knowingly violated NCAA recruiting rules, several ex-Tigers told former New York Times and Sports Illustrated columnist Selena Roberts, whose report appeared on her Web site, Roopstigo.com.

Each of the allegations occurred under coach Gene Chizik, who led Auburn to the 2010 national championship – the program's first since 1957 – but was fired after last season. He has since been replaced by Gus Malzahn, who served as Chizik's offensive coordinator from 2009-11.

According to three former players, the university changed the grades of as many as nine athletes leading into the 2011 BCS national championship game, when Auburn beat Oregon 22-19 to complete its undefeated season.

"We thought we would be without (running back) Mike Dyer because he said he was one of them, but Auburn found a way to make those dudes eligible," Mike Blanc, a multiple-year starter along the Tigers' defensive line, told Roberts. Dyer would gain a game-high 143 yards on 22 carries in Auburn's win.

Auburn coaches offered cash payments to players, for reasons varying from a potential early entry into the NFL draft to simply having "a bad day at practice," Roberts reports. Former wide receiver Darvin Adams alleged that coaches offered cash to lure him away from entering the draft; while Adams wouldn't disclose the sum, both Blanc and another former teammate, Mike McNeil, put the total at "several thousand dollars."

Said Adams: "It was like, we'll do this and that for you. But I'd rather do things the right way. I am happy I didn't say yes to that stuff. That's what I'd tell kids."

"Coaches would say, 'Don't tell anyone where you got it from,'" Blanc said. McNeil recounts a meeting with then-defensive coordinator – and current Florida coach – Will Muschamp in 2007:

"I had no clue what it was about because I'd never directly asked him for anything," McNell said. "He slid about $400 over to me. He went into a drawer and gave me money and said, 'Is this enough? Is this good?' And I said, 'Yeah, I'm good.'"

Muschamp denied making the payment through a spokesperson, Roberts said.

The coaching staff also went well beyond the NCAA's prescribed per diem when entertaining prospective recruits, said former Auburn defensive back Nieko Thorpe. He cites an instance involving star prospect Dre Kirkpatrick – an eventual Alabama signee: Auburn coaches gave student-athlete recruits $500 to entertain Kirkpatrick, while the NCAA limits such recruiting expenses to less than $50 per day.

The allegations further cloud Chizik's up-and-down tenure at the university, which reached its apex during that 2010 season but bottomed out a season ago, when the Tigers failed to win a game in SEC play for the first time since 1980.

NCAA investigators spent several weeks last fall looking into Auburn's recruiting practices, specifically digging into 2012 signee Jovon Robinson, whose Memphis-area high school transcripts were found to be forged.

Auburn came under heavy scrutiny in 2010 for its recruitment of star quarterback Cam Newton. According to an ESPN.com report, an individual purporting to represent Newton was allegedly soliciting a six-figure payment in exchange for Newton's letter of intent. While the NCAA never found any evidence of wrongdoing in the case, the investigation cast a shadow over the Tigers' otherwise sterling 2010 season.

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/2051041

http://m.espn.go.com/ncf/story?storyId=9131624&src=desktop

The most shocking story I've ever heard

I'm a little surprised because I always thought it would be Cam that did them in

you mean the program that got Cam Newton when Miss St. reported his dad was demanding $$$ is going to get in trouble?

but the NCAA made sure it didn't happen while they could make money on the program?

no way...i'm shocked.

Quote:

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NCAA investigators spent several weeks last fall looking into Auburn's recruiting practices, specifically digging into 2012 signee Jovon Robinson, whose Memphis-area high school transcripts were found to be forged.

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If all this was going on at Auburn and the NCAA "did" investigate but found nothing wrong...you have to wonder about the qualifications of the NCAA investigators.

Makes me wonder if the NCAA itself, is corrupt...

That's what I don't understand. - How Auburn came out of the Cam Newton fiasco untouched.
On the current topic, this isn't the first I've heard of this. I remember watching an ESPN program a few years back where Auburn players where saying the same things. - And no punishment by the NCAA.

On the same note, take a look at Alabama. I've read a story where a Florida high school coach implicated Nick Saban and his staff on claims that one of his students got transferred to a different high school, in Alabama, so the kid's grades wouldn't be an issue. Then I remember a few years ago at the end of the Army All Star game, when a kid chose Alabama over LSU, the kid's mom said, on live tv that Nick Saban offered the kid's girlfriend a job if he chose Alabama.

Not saying that these accusations are true, but I can't help but wonder how during this title run that SEC schools aren't getting punished for violating NCAA rules. - Think about it. USC got busted and had wins vacated, Ohio State got busted and had wins vacated, and there have been stories out about Auburn and Alabama. I'm not saying there's a conspiracy and I'm not saying Auburn and Alabama are guilty, but I do wonder...

Might be in trouble? No.

Are in trouble? Yes.

Wonder if their punishment will be as severe as tOSU's punishment was?

I mean cash payments and altering grades can't be anywhere as bad as a couple of players selling pants and autographs for tattoos.

Depends if they can prove it actually happened.

People assume that any time an allegation comes up, that the NCAA HAS to punish them.

The NCAA has to prove it happened, before anything. And if no one involved will talk, that's hard to do.

OSU was able to be punished because people talked.

SportsCenter this morning was already saying it's going to be hard for the NCAA to punish Auburn, because the people who gave this info to the reporter are already going back on their word and refusing to talk to the NCAA.

I have to wonder why several players and/or former players would lie about something like that.

As far as Miami, they could send smoke signals to the entire nation with the number of fired burning there.

Ohio State got hit hard more than anything because Tressel lied, and it was all documented.

The SEC is a lot smoother when it comes to covering their tracks. I think you can actually major in it down there.

There was a lot of Ohio State allegations that went unpunished, too.

Yeah, they got punished for the tattoos and whatnot, but Ohio State did a pretty good job at damage control themselves.

the only reason Ohio State got punished was because Tressel was an old fogey who didn't understand that all emails can be tracked and he's at a public school where they can be forced to give them out.

as it is, i'm pretty happy the scandal happened. loved the Tressel era, but it was time to get some fresh blood in there (especially since that blood is Urban Meyer!!!)

What tOSU did pales in comparison to what Auburn is accused of ... and if they don't get sanctioned alot more than we did is a darn shame ... JMHO

http://espn.go.com/espn/e60/story/_/id/9133824/a-darker-side-downfall-auburn-tigers-espn-magazine

wow. this is more than trouble.