Auburn Zen: Tiger Fans React to The Rashaan Evans Backlash

It’s that time again, where we kick over the rocks by the creek and look at the squirmy things underneath, by seeing what they’re saying on the Auburn Tigers message boards.

Tiger fans are still reeling from the Rashaan Evans commitment to Alabama, and are boycotting his Dad’s business, making all sort of threats, and generally being Auburn fans. Here’s a sampling of their carefully considered planning. As always, spelling and grammar errors are in the originals.

"i have no problem with re going to bammer. but every year that saban has been there hes set up a hometown player to embarrass us in front of everyone . that sucks!!"

"I honestly think he would have chosen AU if daddy didn’t have to get his revenge after so many years of pent up bitterness and blaming his lack of talent on AU."

"Reuben foster makes we want to be racist"

"As long as the Gus Bus keeps running $aban over, that’s all that matters. Let AE and Peaches enjoy their timeshare at the beach together and we’ll keep winning on the field."

"Evans wasn’t a need position for us, he could have helped us but Tre Williams was much more of a need for us and Braden Smith was much more of a need for us."

"I want to see forensic evidence linking REAL Auburn fans to these ugly tweets."

"I was never upset RE didn’t sign, the coaches are doing a great job and the thing is the team will be better this season than they were last year. Gus Malzahn is an absolute nightmare for Saban and Smart. Auburn is on the rise and Bama is on the plateau at best, maybe declining due to the fact they got excited about signing a back up QB"

"like others have said Evans was a luxury, we got the pieces we really needed, but i hate when someone tries to say he`s a kid who just happened to do what was best for him and his future, if that would have been the case he would have quietly committed to bama. Saving his hometown the embarrassment that the people around him knew it would cause, it was orchestrated in a way for the greatest effect,. i never have believed in booing a college player but when he comes to JH, if it happens so be it."

"I’m hoping a couple of the AHS cheerleaders get together and whip his ass. I’m just a dickhead that way."

"Alan Evans will now be carved in stone at the top of the annual off season “Who was the biggest bust in AU football history?” threads that appear on every message board every year.  He’s been introduced to a new generation."

"So when Evans decides to transfer from Bama after realizing it was a bad decision, I hope we don’t offer for him to come here…let him dry up…stupid kid."

"Doesn’t matter. We missed on Foster and Liner last year and came within seconds of winning the crystal. Recruiting is little more than bragging rights."

"you’re right about one thing, it was a bu$ine$$ deci$$ion! Maybe daddy was trying to get back at AU for having to sit and watch Bo run wild while he was a no show his entire career. That’s gotta be tough for the #1 RB prospect to take. Seems he didn’t take it very well. RE gave the excuse that if he didn’t live up to what Auburn fans expected it would be hard to handle. That was his first excuse not to choose Auburn. But does that mean he can handle the pressure of playing for a team with, what is it now 42 national championships? If Humphrey had chose AU over bammer tuskaloser would have disowned  his daddy. If you really love a team, playing for them is all that matters. You go there to make them better and win there not for their arch rival. Something isn’t right at Auburn High School when the coach can’t direct his players to the home town university. The fact that he never came out and said he wanted to go to Auburn was a give away. He didn’t want to go through what his lil buddy froster (yep misspelled on purpose) and take any heat from fellow AHS kids or the town so he keep the fact daddy wanted him to go to the dark side a secrete. He would have been a big plus and a part of a great LB class but we won without him this year and we’ll win without him next season. lil nicky won’t win another NC at bammer. You can quote me on that! Meanwhile Gus will lead AU to a handful of titles if he chooses to stay put for several years. Our defense will be better than yours next season and we got everything we needed but evans so F it and get ready for spring practice."

"On the flip side, his dad played for Auburn and he has grown up here.  There is no way in the world that they should not have known and expected this reaction.  This would be something like a famous and talented scientist defecting from the USSR to the USofA and then having to live out the next 4 months still in the USSR.  He would go from hero to reviled in a nano-second.  People would be royally PO’d.  His dad sounds like a fool for seeming to be completely caught off guard – this from a guy that was recruited and then played for the school and still lives in Auburn – IDIOT if he really is surprised.  They have lived it for years – is there anyone that understands the rivalry better than a former player????"

"He asks, “How would you feel if this was your child?” and the answer is “If he was my child he would not be going to $puat.” If he had committed to UCLA there would have been none of this. But when you grow up in the community, your classmates either have folks who work at AU or wouldn’t be here without AU – and you turn your back on them in an extremely public fashion – how can you blame them if they suddenly don’t have the desire to spend money at your parent’s business? Do you really think you can crap on people and expect them to come back for more?"

"Simply put, this was acted out like Lebrons “decision”. If they did not see any backlash, they were/are foolish. Why should any Auburn person care about the evans, their jobs our store?"

"Its possible that Mr Evans just isn’t that bright, or is very naive. How could he not expect some sort of verbal backlash from the fans after he jerked around our program? Did he really think Auburn locals would flock to his business to congratulate him and his new team? Does he really think that Saban likes the Electric Slide, lima beans, and R&B? Doesn’t seem like he can apply logic to his thought process."

And finally, one Auburn fan isn’t really clear on the meaning of the word ‘backlash’:

"I have not seen one SHRED of evidence of a backlash other than stupid twitter or message board comments. This is just a media attempt to smear Auburn and ANOTHER attempt by the evans family to be in the spotlight."