It’s time for Auburn’s Jay Jacobs to say goodbye

By Scott Buttram

publisher

Commentary

TRUSSVILLE –Future generations will look back in wonderment of some of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history.

Who was Jack the Ripper? How was Stonehenge built? Who really shot John F. Kennedy? How did Jay Jacobs not get fired?

That last one becomes more of a head-scratcher every day.

That has also been the most asked question by the Auburn faithful on social media all day long.

Auburn deserves better than what Jacobs has delivered.

The latest black eye for Auburn University athletics in the Jay Jacobs era comes in the form of an indictment and arrest of assistant head basketball coach Chuck Person on federal charges. This comes on the heels of alleged Title IX violations leveled at the women’s softball program and Jacobs last month.

Program supporters are asking how many more debacles they’ll have to endure under the Jacobs regime. Two major stories in two months are two too many.

And then there are the hires. The staggeringly, consistently bad hires of coaches by Jacobs.

Gene Chizik, Sunny Galloway, Tony Barbee, and more.

While there is no reason to believe that Bruce Pearl is in any way connected to the allegations leading to the arrest of Person, the fact that Pearl was hired by Jacobs while still under a “show cause” order from the NCAA is inescapable. That will be an often mentioned subject across the airways nationally.

One Jacobs hire appeared to be solid. Clint Myers took Auburn softball to the College Women’s World Series and seemed to have the Tigers at the top.

But last season, the program began to unravel and Myers retired unexpectedly. Just days following his retirement, ESPN dropped a bombshell of allegations by former players that Meyers’ son Corey had been sexually involved with a player and harassed other players with his father’s knowledge.

Jacobs was implicated as being non-supportive of the players, a claim he has denied.

One of the examples players pointed to was the fact that Corey Meyers had resigned after complaints were filed, but he was then reinstated by Jacobs’ athletic department two weeks later. He then resigned again in March.

The investigation into softball complaints drug on for almost an entire year. It wasn’t until it became clear that ESPN was about to make the charges public that Clint Meyers announced his retirement.

Jacobs’ hiring stumbles have rivaled only his Homer Simpsonesque negotiating skills.

In 2007, former football coach Tommy Tuberville was negotiating what would become his final contract at Auburn. Tuberville, who had allegedly been wooed by Texas A&M, leaked word that he didn’t want a buyout clause in his contract. This was the equivalent of Br’er Rabbit pleading, “Don’t throw me in the briar patch.”

Jacobs responded by insisting on a $6 million buyout clause.

Almost exactly one year later, Jacobs showed Tuberville the door.

Guess who walked away with a big fat buyout check?

Doh!

It’s been one wrong move after another for Jacobs. While there have been moments of reaching the stars for some sports, those programs have crashed back to earth in flames with startling regularity.

Auburn fans are a proud and loyal bunch. They’ll take losses in stride and look forward to the next turnaround. They will remain faithful.

What Auburn fans will not tolerate is the abuse of female student-athletes and the federal indictment of coaches. And they no longer seem willing to accept the ineptitude of the athletic director.

It’s time for Jacobs to go. Maybe the Yella Fella could loan him a horse and let him ride off into an orange and blue sunset.

Auburn folks don’t really care how he goes as long as he makes like Elvis and leaves the building.

Cover photo by Todd Van Emst/AuburnTigers.com