While I’m not in the “99.2827% of the internet is firmly convinced that Auburn won’t have a football program by mid-2011” gang whom Will Collier identifies in this post, I do find his taking comfort in Barrett Sallee’s assertion that Gus Malzahn’s decision to stay at Auburn represents insider validation there’s nothing to worry about from the bad ol’ NCAA a tad optimistic.
First off, let’s not lose sight of part of what got Gus to stay: he’s now the highest paid assistant coach in the country. He makes more than Dan Mullen now does. His raise is more than any assistant coach in the SEC currently makes. Yeah, he had a fabulous year. But it’s not like he’s the first assistant ever to do that. If Will and Barrett are going to speculate about what Malzahn’s continued presence means, let’s just say that paying somebody a shitload of money could be interpreted as cutting the other way.
Second, if Malzahn knows something about Camgate that the rest of us don’t, that’s a change.
And third, unless he had a direct hand in Cam’s recruiting, what does he have to worry about anyway? If something does turn up and Auburn gets slammed as a result, he’ll just pick up the phone and say, “Get me out of here, Jimmy”, won’t he? And he’ll go.
None of which is to say that Auburn’s guilty of anything more than giving a scholarship to Cecil Newton’s spawn. But I’m not sure how much I’d be hanging my hat on Gus turning down Vanderbilt.
Get The Picture 
“He makes more than Dan Mullen now does.”
Between that and not getting a $2.5M offer from Jeremy or an offer from Vanderbilt and/or turning down a Miami offer, if any, it’s shaping up to be a melancholy Christmas around the Mullen household.
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My thoughts exactly. I don’t see a whole lot of connection between CGM turning down Vandy and Auburn’s culpability in Camgate. I still say the chances are low that Malzahn is on the sideline at Auburn next fall.
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I remember thinking the same thing when Dennis Franchione signed on at Alabama whilst the NCAA was lurking. “Oh, well, he must have been made promises that it’s not bad”. Yep, he was.
And Alabama got slammed.
I am not saying Auburn gets slammed. I simply wholeheartedly agree with what’s written here.
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I seem to recall a pot full of promises being made to Fran to get him.
When the NCAA hammer turned out to hit harder than he was told and when certain promises were not kept, he bolted. (Not trying to defend him.)
I don’t think Malzahn knows anything about Camgate. I’d be surprised if Chizik does.
The money people probably made him a ton of promises.
Also, all this has to make Chizik feel special.
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What’s that you say? Auburn fans are grasping at straws to find some shred of evidence that Cam’s an OK guy and that the NCAA hammer isn’t about to fall on their heads? They’ve been doing that since the day he signed!!!
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What’s that you say? Georgia fans grasping at straws to find some shred of evidence that Auburn will get in trouble and that Chizik is not a better coach than Richt? So does Chizk need Malzahn more than Richt needed Van Gorder?
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“… grasping at straws to find some shred of evidence… that Chizik is not a better coach than Richt?”
96–33 vs. 26–24 for a difference of 70-9.
That’s 70 more wins against 9 more losses all of which were in the SEC and none of which were in the Big 12 North.
So, yeah “… grasping at straws…”
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Also, yes, Chizik needs Malzahn a LOT more than Richt needed VanGorder.
Without VanGorder, all Richt did was win the 2005 SEC Championship and finish ranked #2 in the nation in 2007. Without VanGorder, Mark Richt is also 4-2 against Auburn, and 1-1 against Chizik, so, just sayin’.
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I agree with you Senator, it may be about 99% that the NCAA has to take action against Cam’s eligibility since they totally blew it two weeks ago, the odds that Auburn will only get some limited sanctions and have to vacate some wins and the SEC title couldn’t be much higher than 75%. Odds that they won’t have a program by mid-2011 are no higher than 5%.
Now if the FBI tapes show there is definitive proof a booster, or two, and a former coach, plus numerous athletes involved with casino favors (along with payments to the Reverend Cecil’s church and transportation business), all bets are off. That would indicate the program could indeed be headed down the SMU path. I don’t think that will happen, they are just too lucky for that.
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Not to hijack this thread, but I don’t think Eric Holder’s Justice dept. leads the charge on exposing a crooked “Bishop” from Atlanta in a PFP scandal.
If investigators collect stuff for a good case, it might have to wait til new administration in 2013 (assuming).
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I’ll probably regret asking this question, but what are you basing that on?
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Because people from My Party are all good, and people from The Other Party are all bad.
We are good and honorable people who do our Dead. Level. Best. with complete integrity. We are the top 1% of the top 1%.
The political party that I don’t happen to belong to is a bunch of gutter snipes who want to destroy everything I and my children hold dear. Like a bunch of Mike Tysons they want to eat my children. They are focused only on my destruction and the destruction of my children. And puppies. But mostly my children.
‘Scuse me while I adjust my tinfoil hat.
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I’m a lawyer living in Normaltown so I assure you my liberal street cred is intact.
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The AG playing politics?
this comes to mind
as does this
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Yes, I can see how you can draw a straight line from those to Camgate. Oy.
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It’s not a straight line. But is Eric Holder anything if inconsistent in his pursuit of justice?
Per Holder, the state of Arizona enforcing federal law is an affront to Lady Justice but the Congress forcing private citizens to purchase a private product is perfectly Constitutional?
Now that’s chutzpah!
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No, chutzpah is asking “The AG playing politics?” in the context of Holder while ignoring the noble reign of Alberto Gonzalez.
Neither party has an abundance of virtue going for it. To pretend otherwise is nothing more than partisanship packaged as piety. Bah humbug to that.
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Accusing the former is not defending the latter.
Regardless (or irregardless as they say on the Vent) it’s all academic and I apologize for injecting it.
I’m as much a Libertarian as you are Sen., though we come at it from different sides.
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The party system is broken. We need American solutions/approaches in all three branches but all we get is crappy leadership and business as usual. Holder is a complete tool who thinks the kindergarten/childish approach of Chicago politics will be tolerated. He is a complete tool. Have there have been others? Absolutely, but the current practice of calling out predecessors as a justification of incompetence is beyond annoying. Put on your big boy pants and do the job, we are circling the porcelin oasis. Saying someone else made mistakes too is a terrible defense.
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What, no Saul Alinsky reference?
Holder is a hack holdover from the Clinton era. What do Chicago politics have to do with anything here?
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His naivete that he can do anything because he is the big boss. Small thinker, regardles of which administration is responsible for him. Klinton would have kept him under titght reign because he had enough political sense to not sue a state because they want the damn law enforced, misfire on security issues like Gitmo and the underwear bomber, nor chase a state governor’s expense reports from years ago that amounted to fewer dollars than I keep in a checking account for over (not fraudulent) spending while the Titantic is taking on water.
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While you are right about the sleaziness of Holder, I look at the FBI as the better part of the justice department (old-school viewpoint) and assumed they would act in the interest of justice when the time came to prosecute. I don’t know what is on those tapes, but when they make the case against McGregor I have to assume the full, unedited tape will be available to all parties.
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Whenever I read your (and some of the other delusional UGA fanboi) posts on here about Auburn, they sound like this:
OHPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASELET AUBURN GET IN TROUBLE SO I’LL FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE LOSS
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I would say this: “…the money and power might be a little bit better in Nashville, but it’s far more likely that his time at Vanderbilt would hurt his long-term career prospects than it is by staying at Auburn.” is the crux of that article. The fact that Collier decides that him staying absolves Auburn, well, the lady doth protest too much, methinks.
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The coaches are never touched unless they are directly involved. I think it’s been over looked that our very own Rodney Garner was named as the bag man at Auburn by Terry Bowden in the interview that was totally ignored by the NCAA the last time. Given what Terry said before the gag order settlement I think the NCAA was just looking for a way out of the death penalty for Auburn at that time.
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The NCAA was played by Auburn. Realizing that a cataclysmic lawsuit would follow any ineligible ruling, they were forced to fold their hand during this round. Color me in the 99% crowd for trouble down the road.
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I’m in the 1%. As much as I’d like to see Auburn in a funeral pyre, I just don’t think that much is ever going to come of Camgate. Do I believe dirty shit went down? You betcha. Do I think that proof of it exists? Nope. And for anyone hoping and dreaming that Santa brings an SMU like penalty….no fricken’ way. The Barners walk on this one.
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Oh, you mean Auburn alum Barrett Sallee? Gee, why would that guy be overly optimistic regarding the state of the Auburn football program?
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You guys have it right–Auburn has the media and NCAA in our back pocket. Can you imagine how low we would have been ranked in 1983, 1993 and 2004 if we had not? And how bad the sanctions would have been in 1957, 1980 and 1993? And then there’s our basketball program…..
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Malzahn will be gone soon enough when the right head coaching gig presents itself. Vandy was not it. South Carolina when the HBC retires soon?
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McGarity has asked Mullen to hold out for UGA in a few yearts. Richt will retire to mission work in a year or so. The voices in my head told me so.
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I don’t think Richt gets that contract extension and I don’t believe they would fire him with one year left on the contract after the 2011 season. Bobo is staying. Not sure how long the CTG contract is for. This kinda reminds me of Tennessee firing the OC and DC and then Fulmer. How’s that working out for Tennessee? Not as expected I am sure.
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CTG signed a 3 year deal.
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First, nothing will happen with Newton/Auburn until the BCS checks are cashed.
Malzahn chose to not take Vandy’s retirement gift. It’s a head coaching graveyard and Gus at 45, is too young to take it.
Sexton played Auburn for a lot more money (leveraging this year’s National Chamiponship opportunity) so Malzahn is in good shape regardless of what happens at Auburn.
Next year, Gus will have a very good shot at a better SEC or Big XII head coaching position (possibly Ole Miss, Georgia, South Carolina, or one of the Kansas schools).
Gus made the right decision.
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