32 Comments

Disgusting.

I'm not sure I can listen or read about Hugh Freeze at Auburn. I don't want to hate-read about my football team. I just experienced 10 years of that from the worst part of the Auburn fanbase. I'd rather check out of Auburn football and wait for him to leave than become like that.

Auburn let me down today.

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It's a sad day for the sport when a potentially transformative leader like Cadillac is told 'no thanks' in order to satisfy one rich guy's fantasy that he can impose his whims on an entire university.

I only joined AO for the search after hearing Justin on Split Zone Duo, but as an alum of a school that's made a couple similarly mind-bending choices, my thoughts are with Auburn fans feeling disgusted today. My advice is to redirect your energy into non-revenue sports, where a little bit of fan support means a lot to athletes who invest just as much (or more) into your school than football players, and do it mostly for the love of competition and their teammates.

The only person I probably feel worse for is John Cohen, who barely got to take the plastic wrap off the AD chair before he was pretty transparently kneecapped for failing to reel in Kiffin. But then again, as the saying goes, that's what the money is for. Let's just hope the president can keep this cancer contained in the athletic department.

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If we wanted a scumbag we should’ve got one that was also a good coach

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I don't think I've ever been more disappointed by a hire, and my colts tried to hire josh McDaniels a few years ago. He's not even being paid like he's a good coach, which should tell you everything you need to know. Jerry hinnen had a brilliant breakdown on twitter today about the whole deal. It's frustrating for many reasons, and while I realize that you need to build relationships with these head coaches, your mailbag responses the other day were perfect. Looking forward to another coaching search in 1-2 years.

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Justin, you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. Your coverage of our team is beyond reproach. None of us with a rational thought ever believed this asshole would be our coach. It reeks of BOT interference and arm twisting. President Roberts and John Cohen failed Auburn and the entirety of it's female aluim by this move. Winning football games must be more important than half your fanbase.

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Really shocked that this the hire. Disappointment is the only word that describes how I feel. Recruiting violations are one thing, and totally forgivable, but the rest is completely beneath Auburn as a program and an institution. Truly a sad day on the Plains.

As a guy that has been checked out of the football program for about 8 years, it won't change anything, but I'm disgusted that this man is paid to represent Auburn.

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Josh Pate tweeted something about all of Freeze's detractors fitting in a phone booth as soon as he gets his first 10-win season. Besides the obvious that he must, first, win 10 games to test this hypothesis (no easy feat), I believe he has seriously misjudged the negative consequences of this hire.

The anger, disappointment and embarrassment by fans will not be so easily placated. This hire has put the entire athletic program in a terrible spot. Think first of Dean, Crouch, Harris, etc., those who coach the women's teams and now not only will be asked to come on board and support the hire but have to recruit young women to Auburn under this cloud. I would hate to be Coach Graba, coaching a sport that has been hit especially hard by predatory men only to have to explain to current gymnasts and recruits how a grown man who hired hooker and intimidates and harasses sexual abuse victims gets to have to highest paid and most visible job at the school.

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I think the relationships he has with the high school coaching community will come up big in recruiting.

Do you plan on doing a film room on his offense or offensive iterations over the years?

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I'm so embarrassed we hired this guy.

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I’m ok with the hire. I’m not ok with the HORRIBLE vitriol and division of fans on social media. I thought we were done with that after Harsin’s firing and CGM being let go.

The twisting and inflammation of the facts that have been publicized to foward posters’ agendas are disturbing. Auburn football has been a good distraction from the media’s handling of politics- not anymore. Now it’s politics’ twin brother. Sad.

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A lot of us are struggling with this decision. I'm looking forward to you helping us make sense of this, Justin––if it ever makes sense.

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UHHGHHHHHGHH SHITTTTT JUSTINNNNN WHATTTT HAPPPPENNNNNDDDDUHHHHHHH

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Lots of angst out there. Hope most folks can get it out of their system fairly quickly and move forward but for now it feels a little like the thing every election year where some extremely online people threaten to leave the country if the vote doesn't go their way. Maybe not. But if they truly can't move forward in the near future, I hope they can make good on their threats of abandoning support for Auburn til Freeze is gone. It will probably be better for everyone in the long run if they do.

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I have zero power to affect any coaching decision before the Freeze hire and now. There was nothing I could do, other than shout into the void of Twitter like the usual AU Twitter, and that’s not me. I would just like to watch and root for the teams I care about. I’ve never cared what outside media said about Auburn...since Cam it’s rarely been focused on any positives and includes the context of all edged activities. People pretending like NOW we’re going to be subjected to the butt of jokes like we were before are being histrionic. Is everything coming out of the Observer going to sound like it’s coming from AL.com until Freeze is gone, or should I expect quality commentary I usually see from Justin?

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