((HT: Auburn Athletics))
First, to recap...
Here's what everyone is talking about...
Here's the link to the Selena Roberts story on her new site that stirred up trouble...
Roberts discussed it with Tim Brando during the week of the national title game in Atlanta...
((HT: CBS Sports))
And the hurriedly-assembled Shaun Assael story from the four-letter...
((HT: ESPN))
Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs, himself under fire for running the successful athletics program into the ground on the field, came out swinging Monday morning with the release of the University's own investigation into the above firestorm brought on by Auburn alumna Roberts...
The school's conclusions...
No academic fraud on Michael Dyer's behalf:
The article alleges improper grade changes took place to make nine student-athletes eligible for the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. That is false. In fact, six players were academically ineligible for the BCS National Championship game, and none of them made the trip to Arizona with the team.
The article also states that former football student-athlete Michael Dyer was academically ineligible prior to the BCS National Championship game. That is also false. Mr. Dyer was never in danger of academic ineligibility. In fact, he passed 15 hours during the fall of 2010 (nine more than required by the NCAA) and had a 2.8 GPA at the end of the fall semester. Mr. Dyer actually passed a combined 24 hours in the summer and fall semesters.
Mike McNeil's grades were adjusted according to university policy and not by an alleged academic counselor that acted on behalf of the university:
The article also implies that an academic counselor who works with the athletic department kept Mike McNeil eligible by changing his grade in a course from an F to a C. The article fails to point out that the professor changed Mr. McNeil's grade after documented reasons were provided, including excused absences from classes for medical reasons. The independent review by Auburn University Internal Auditing showed that all institutional policies regarding grade changes for excused absences were followed.
Shenanigans around McNeil, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Will Muschamp...??? The university investigation gave this:
It is also worth noting that while Mr. McNeil also alleges that former Auburn assistant coach Will Muschamp paid him during the 2007 season, Coach Muschamp immediately and publicly denied the allegations, as was widely reported throughout the media.
The article also claims that Mr. McNeil recalls receiving $500 cash to entertain a former prospect, Dre Kirkpatrick, while Mr. Kirkpatrick was on an official visit to Auburn. Mr. Kirkpatrick never took an official visit to Auburn. Mr. Kirkpatrick has since publicly stated that no one at Auburn gave him money or spent money on him during unofficial visits to our campus.
Jacobs also defended former head coach Gene Chizik and Darvin Adams released a statement through Chizik's attorney denying his effort to be paid to "stay" in school for his senior season... which seems somewhat counter-productive to anyone who thinks they have a chance at a pro career... if you want to go and people tell you that there's a chance you'll get drafted...
You'll go...
The Athletics Department even goes on to a point-by-point discussion of the allegations involving contact between the McNeil family and the school by divulging phone records, drug testing time frames, and McNeil's desire to transfer to another school.
Now, if Jacobs had shown this kind of nerve earlier in his career, he may not be on the hot seat that he's on now...
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