Multitudinous NCAA rules and gobs of money surrounding some NCAA sports create precarious conditions for big-school Athletic Directors.
Almost every month there is news of a NCAA sports program involved in an investigation. Some months it seems like there is new information almost daily. There are three invariable responses to purported violations or crimes. When school X is accused:
- A segment of NCAA sports’ followers proclaims, “everybody cheats.”
- School X fans and administration deny any and all wrongdoing.
- Rivals of school X explode with glee, denigrate school X and demand swift punishment.
After the initial furor, claims, accusations, refutations and denials can continue for months or years. Almost without fail, everyone close to the controversy ‘lawyers up.’
The most current accusation in NCAA sports comes from Auburn Universty. Sports fans outside the state of Alabama and even many sports pundits see Alabama vs. Auburn as a BIG rivalry, maybe even the biggest rivalry. Such opinion is accurate but far from complete. Alabama vs. Auburn is much closer to a blood feud, almost blood rivalry, though so far the only deaths have been to a few Oak trees.
While we Alabama fans smirk over another in a long line of Auburn missteps, we would do well to remember the old admonition “there but for the grace of God go I.”
Auburn may have an academic fraud violation
Auburn may or not be in trouble again for the third or fourth (or is it the fifth) time in 2017. The Alabama sports program, just like almost all NCAA sports programs is not immune to failings. Our history is far from guiltless.
Still, it is fair to ask how Auburn is accused of so much, yet suffers so little. It certainly is not because Jay Jacobs is more astute than Mal Moore and Bill Battle were and Greg Byrne is now. Whatever the eventual outcome of the FBI college basketball investigation, Auburn appears to be at greater risk of institutional punishment than Alabama.
Greg Byrne got ahead of the FBI story by obtaining Kobie Baker’s resignation and making an announcement before the story surfaced through outside sources. Not to mention that Baker has not been charged with a crime and Auburn basketball great Chuck Person is facing serious jail time.
The current Auburn mess is minor compared to bribery, fraud, alleged inappropriate relations with female players by male coaches and potential Title IX violations. This time, it is nothing more than an academic mentor, allegedly taking an online exam for a former player. The tutor who discovered the academic violation and reported it to the Auburn compliance department was subsequently placed on administrative leave by Auburn University.
The story was published in far greater detail by ESPN’s Outside the Lines. We comment on it here for two reasons. The first is explained in item No. 3 above about invariable responses by rival fans. We have another reason. It too is influenced by bias but we sincerely believe we have a fair question. Actually, two questions.
Why is Auburn so often accused of wrongdoing? Why is the school so rarely punished?
So often – a supposed impartial reader may ask – is that accurate? Eric Ramsey, Cam Newton, Chuck Person, the Auburn softball mess and now the purported academic fraud. We call that enough issues to qualify as often.
So rarely punished, is that fair? Perhaps not. Auburn was punished severely by the NCAA in 1993 for the ‘pay for play’ scheme unveiled by Eric Ramsey. The sordid mess cost Pat Dye his coaching career. Auburn did avoid penalty in the Cam Newton scandal because the NCAA (aided by the SEC) could not make a case that Cam knew his father was paid close to 200 thousand dollars for Cam to attend Auburn.
As far as the 2017 issues, Auburn University has not been found guilty of anything. After the Eric Ramsey episode, Pat Dye went on to become the elder statesman of Auburn football. Chuck person may go to jail while his Auburn boss, head coach Bruce Pearl is found to be guiltless.
There could be an additional reason Auburn survives so much with so little pain. The Auburn lawyers are very good at their job. The Auburn athletic department has a long and deep relationship with the Birmingham firm of Lightfoot, Hamilton and White.
The Birmingham firm is acknowledged for expertise in sports law and the lawyers are experienced with the NCAA compliance issues. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, lawyers in the firm have professional relationships with Pat Dye going back to the Ramsey case. The paper also reported one of the firm’s lawyers worked on the ‘Cam Newton case.’
It could well be that Auburn suffers little from accusations because the school is often unfairly accused. Or it could be its lawyers are doing their jobs very well. The law firm is currently investigating the academic fraud claim.
What is next for Auburn?
We cannot answer that question. We can guess that Jay Jacobs will not be the Tigers Athletic Director much longer. When he is replaced, we suggest similar to what was done when Alabama hired Greg Byrne, Auburn needs to look outside the family. Someone with no ties to any former or current Auburn coach would be a good start.
Here’s another tip to avoid undue scrutiny. Don’t hire coaches, much less head coaches, with a history of lying to the NCAA and asking assistant coaches and recruit parents to do the same. That kind of hiring choice makes Auburn appear unconcerned about honesty and integrity. It makes Auburn look guilty even if it is not.
Next: Does Auburn have an inferiority problem?
In the post linked above, we commented on Pat Dye saying Auburn football could not catch up to Alabama football in 500 years. If Dye is correct and we suspect he is, are the Aubies just trying too hard?