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Auburn spokeswoman: AD Jay Jacobs' comments about investigation of Corey Myers 'unfortunate'

Updated on August 29, 2017 at 7:09 AM Posted on August 29, 2017 at 2:02 AM

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Gallery: Auburn AD Jay Jacobs delivers 2016 goals

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By James Crepea

jcrepea@al.com

An Auburn athletics spokeswoman claims the school began investigating its softball program last September, but that comments athletic director Jay Jacobs made to AL.com in April that he was unaware of any investigation into former associate head softball coach Corey Myers were "unfortunate" and former softball coach Clint Myers' claim in July that he agreed in principle to a three-year contract extension was "categorically false."

Cassie Arner, associate athletic director for strategic communications, confirmed to ESPN that Auburn's softball program is under investigation for the alleged abuse and sexual harassment of players by the coaching staff, as outlined in a July 20 complaint sent from the lawyer of former walk-on pitcher Alexa Nemeth.

Arner claims Auburn's investigation began last September, after players filed anonymous ethics complaints about the alleged behavior of Corey Myers, which led to his two-week leave of absence, and it has "been a continuous process," according to ESPN.

Jacobs' comments to AL.com on April 27, in which he denied knowledge of any investigation into Corey Myers, were "unfortunate" and possibly "misleading," Arner told ESPN.

"There's a big fear of admitting investigations because of what that does to the privacy of some of the people involved," Arner told ESPN. "He (Jacobs) should have just said, 'We don't comment on investigations.' Publicly, he was just echoing the statements from when Corey resigned, which does seem misleading."

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The entirety of the April 27 exchange between Jacobs and AL.com regarding Corey Myers was as follows:

AL.com: "There was the Corey Myers situation; there hasn't been a statement from the administration on that. What was your reaction to that situation?"

Jacobs: "I really didn't have a reaction other than what his statement was, which is that he wanted to spend more time with his family. It's a grind being an assistant coach and having a family; little kids, it's a tough thing. I appreciate him being willing to say, 'You know what, I can't keep doing both of these. I can't have my family the way I need to with the time and keep up with softball too.' So, I respect him for stepping out."

AL.com: "To your knowledge, was there ever any kind of investigation into his conduct in any capacity?"

Jacobs: "Not to my knowledge."

Corey Myers resigned on March 30, citing family reasons. Multiple players told ESPN they provided Clint Myers and athletics administrators copies of text messages obtained from the cell phone of a teammate they believed was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with Corey Myers.

According to ESPN, five players said a more than three-hour meeting followed, during which Auburn senior women's administrator Meredith Jenkins demanded players delete photos of the text messages or they were risking arrest.

The alleged actions of Jenkins were not addressed by Arner in ESPN's report on Monday night.

On April 6, Clint Myers said he would welcome Corey Myers back to the program "in a heartbeat," but did not know if his youngest son's resignation was related to the leave of absence he took in the fall. That day, AL.com asked Clint Myers if there had ever been a Title IX investigation into Corey Myers.

"I'm not sure why you're asking that," Clint Myers said. "So, I have no comment."

Clint Myers addresses resignation of Corey Myers

Arner went on to deny the July 7 claim by Clint Myers that he agreed in principle to a three-year contract extension until 2023, which was first reported by AuburnSports.com.

According to Arner, Clint Myers mentioned the extension to a "friendly" reporter and it "caught fire from there."

In response to a request for confirmation by AL.com on the afternoon of July 7, Clint Myers said via text message, "Jay (Jacobs) is proposing to the board (of trustees) a 3 year extension to my current contract which means my contract would end in 2023." He then confirmed again it was pending approval, but agreed to in principle.

Jacobs never responded to AL.com's July 7 text message requesting confirmation of the proposed three-year contract extension for Clint Myers, who was earning $203,500 annually through July 2020.

In the more than 50 days since, no member of Auburn's athletic department refuted or attempted to clarify to AL.com Clint Myers' claim of the contract extension in principle.

"I think there was a little misunderstanding," Arner told ESPN on Sunday. "It was premature to say that there was a contract extension extended."

Auburn issued a release announcing Clint Myers' "retirement" on Wednesday, citing family reasons.

In four statements released by the athletic department and Auburn University since, the school has stated, "there is a reason changes took place with the coaching staff."

Auburn has not responded to any of AL.com's six public records requests related to Corey Myers and the softball program, which began on March 21, nine days before he resigned.

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Martin Greenberg, Nemeth's lawyer, has not responded to multiple messages from AL.com.

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1 hour ago, boomstick said:

I'm not always a big fan of James, but he's asking some pretty tough questions, which I think is a good thing.

So AL.com has made 6 public records requests related to Corey Myers and the softball program and Auburn hasn't responded in 5 months?  Is Auburn required to respond/provided the information or not?

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4 minutes ago, keesler said:

So AL.com has made 6 public records requests related to Corey Myers and the softball program and Auburn hasn't responded in 5 months?  Is Auburn required to respond/provided the information or not?

I would think they have to respond at some point. Not sure what the time table or requirements are. And those FOIA requests are so fickle. Schools can redact so much info that it makes some of the stuff useless. 

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Just now, boomstick said:

I would think they have to respond at some point. Not sure what the time table or requirements are. And those FOIA requests are so fickle. Schools can redact so much info that it makes some of the stuff useless. 

AL.com knew something was going on .....they requested the public records 9 days before Corey's official resignation.

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4 minutes ago, keesler said:

AL.com knew something was going on .....they requested the public records 9 days before Corey's official resignation.

James asked back in April about a Title IX investigation. There were some rumors that there was at least one Title IX investigation in the summer/fall of 2016. So, I'm sure he had either heard those rumors, had loose confirmation on that info, and/or believed Corey's resignation could've been due to an/another investigation. 

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Well.....looks like AU has screwed up again...lying to the media is never a good idea.

But maybe not Auburn University as an institution:   Sounds like AU was doing what it needed to do in the way of investigating the softball program...but then JJ denied anything was going when the truth would have served the school just as well....and better as it is turning out. .

As I've noted  a number of times in the past, just every time there is something negative and/or embarrassing about Auburn University in the national media it usually involves the athletic program.....and looks like we are there again. 

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2 hours ago, boomstick said:

I'm not always a big fan of James, but he's asking some pretty tough questions, which I think is a good thing.

I don't like the SOB either, but right now hard questions are needed.     This was a situation that, handled correctly, would be a non-story right now....the way this was handled just reeks of ineptness and I hope the good ole boy network is about to be taken down

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We need to gather our composure a little bit.  No criminal activity has been alleged to have taken place.  An inappropriate relationship between an assistant coach and a student athlete is the root cause of this entire series of events.  The assistant coach and the head coach of the program are no longer employed by the University.  In the fall of 2016, there were anonymous complaints concerning the existence of this relationship.  Those involved all denied its existence.  Members of the team, in person, went to the athletic department and stated that they did not believe the anonymously reported allegations.   The assistant was allowed to rejoin the program.  In March, several student athletes took the phone of a fellow teammate, looked thru her text messages and made screen shots of messages showing the existence of an inappropriate relationship. That information was presented to the HC and the HC informed the athletic department.  A mandatory team meeting was held immediately, during which the Associate AD in charge of women's sports demanded answers in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation.  The student athlete that had her phone messages read without her permission was very upset.  The Assoc AD told the student athletes that had taken the information that they should delete the information and that their actions could be illegal. She never said that the information was irrelevant or that it would not be used by the athletic department.  She likely told them that an investigation was under way and that they should not speak of the matter publicly in an effort to protect the student athlete involved in the inappropriate relationship.  The assistant coach immediately resigned.

We are here today because a former walk on was dismissed from the team.  She was not involved in the inappropriate relationship, but thanks to the rabid misuse of Title IX, she is now able to extract both revenge for no longer being a part of the team and get a hefty settlement for her troubles.  She has stated thru espnw that along with financial damages, she wants to be reinstated to the team.

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3 hours ago, AU64 said:

Well.....looks like AU has screwed up again...lying to the media is never a good idea.

But maybe not Auburn University as an institution:   Sounds like AU was doing what it needed to do in the way of investigating the softball program...but then JJ denied anything was going when the truth would have served the school just as well....and better as it is turning out. .

As I've noted  a number of times in the past, just every time there is something negative and/or embarrassing about Auburn University in the national media it usually involves the athletic program.....and looks like we are there again. 

This will fade from any mention if Auburn people will allow it to do so.  We have been in real controversy several times in the recent past and have thrived.  This is not the story that those attempted to be.

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1 minute ago, AU9377 said:

This will fade from any mention if Auburn people will allow it to do so.  We have been in real controversy several times in the recent past and have thrived.  This is not the story that those attempted to be.

I know.... but when this popped up the TV media immediately reminded viewers that this was the same school with Cam and Pat Dye and the sociology and whatever else happened within the past 20 years and drop comments about Baylor as if this were the same kind of thing. 

But mostly seems to be hot news in the state and less so elsewhere.   Maybe Harvey or the general political climate in sports with kneeling players, etc. etc. will keep this mostly on the back burner though I expect it will get a good airing when our game with Clemson is telecast.  

As someone noted in one of these threads....most of our wounds are self inflicted and mostly you get little credit for good intentions. . 

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15 minutes ago, AU9377 said:

We need to gather our composure a little bit.  No criminal activity has been alleged to have taken place.  An inappropriate relationship between an assistant coach and a student athlete is the root cause of this entire series of events.  The assistant coach and the head coach of the program are no longer employed by the University.  In the fall of 2016, there were anonymous complaints concerning the existence of this relationship.  Those involved all denied its existence.  Members of the team, in person, went to the athletic department and stated that they did not believe the anonymously reported allegations.   The assistant was allowed to rejoin the program.  In March, several student athletes took the phone of a fellow teammate, looked thru her text messages and made screen shots of messages showing the existence of an inappropriate relationship. That information was presented to the HC and the HC informed the athletic department.  A mandatory team meeting was held immediately, during which the Associate AD in charge of women's sports demanded answers in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation.  The student athlete that had her phone messages read without her permission was very upset.  The Assoc AD told the student athletes that had taken the information that they should delete the information and that their actions could be illegal. She never said that the information was irrelevant or that it would not be used by the athletic department.  She likely told them that an investigation was under way and that they should not speak of the matter publicly in an effort to protect the student athlete involved in the inappropriate relationship.  The assistant coach immediately resigned.

We are here today because a former walk on was dismissed from the team.  She was not involved in the inappropriate relationship, but thanks to the rabid misuse of Title IX, she is now able to extract both revenge for no longer being a part of the team and get a hefty settlement for her troubles.  She has stated thru espnw that along with financial damages, she wants to be reinstated to the team.

Sounds so cut and dry. And I believe you've mentioned this before, but where is this settlement or financial damages stuff coming from? It's not anywhere in the ESPN article. 

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Here's an article from the Montgomery Advertiser asking about some contradictions in the stories and official releases/statements. 

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2017/08/29/latest-auburn-statement-confirms-contradictions-involving-athletic-department-statements-softball-pr/611252001/?cookies=&from=global

 

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1 hour ago, AU9377 said:

We need to gather our composure a little bit.  No criminal activity has been alleged to have taken place.  An inappropriate relationship between an assistant coach and a student athlete is the root cause of this entire series of events.  The assistant coach and the head coach of the program are no longer employed by the University.  In the fall of 2016, there were anonymous complaints concerning the existence of this relationship.  Those involved all denied its existence.  Members of the team, in person, went to the athletic department and stated that they did not believe the anonymously reported allegations.   The assistant was allowed to rejoin the program.  In March, several student athletes took the phone of a fellow teammate, looked thru her text messages and made screen shots of messages showing the existence of an inappropriate relationship. That information was presented to the HC and the HC informed the athletic department.  A mandatory team meeting was held immediately, during which the Associate AD in charge of women's sports demanded answers in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation.  The student athlete that had her phone messages read without her permission was very upset.  The Assoc AD told the student athletes that had taken the information that they should delete the information and that their actions could be illegal. She never said that the information was irrelevant or that it would not be used by the athletic department.  She likely told them that an investigation was under way and that they should not speak of the matter publicly in an effort to protect the student athlete involved in the inappropriate relationship.  The assistant coach immediately resigned.

We are here today because a former walk on was dismissed from the team.  She was not involved in the inappropriate relationship, but thanks to the rabid misuse of Title IX, she is now able to extract both revenge for no longer being a part of the team and get a hefty settlement for her troubles.  She has stated thru espnw that along with financial damages, she wants to be reinstated to the team.

In all of this, you never mentioned that Clint rallied the troops to fight for Corey back in the fall - did that happen or are the girls lying?  

You make it sound like Clint did his job and immediately informed the AD with the information from the text messages about the inappropriate relationship.......So why did Clint decide to retire to spend time with his family & grandkids?  

At the end of the day, we've lost 2 of the best coaches this program has ever employed, and so far  3 players, one of which was the #1 player and leader of the team?

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1 hour ago, AU9377 said:

This will fade from any mention if Auburn people will allow it to do so.  We have been in real controversy several times in the recent past and have thrived.  This is not the story that those attempted to be.

Maybe some Auburn people want answers instead of a hushed up affair where things get sweep under the rug, handled internally and then allow it vanish like a fart in the wind.

The Auburn Administration and the entire Athletic Department would love nothing more than for "Auburn People" to allow this to fade from mention.  Hell, they want to purge this thing with the swiftness I'm sure.:-\

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17 minutes ago, keesler said:

Maybe some Auburn people want answers instead of a hushed up affair where things get sweep under the rug, handled internally and then allow it vanish like a fart in the wind.

The Auburn Administration and the entire Athletic Department would love nothing more than for "Auburn People" to allow this to fade from mention.  Hell, they want to purge this thing with the swiftness I'm sure.:-\

I hear your frustration but what is the "this" that you are talking about?   Can't see than anything that happened is not out there for public knowledge at this point.  A coach messed up big time and got fired for it.   Sounds like a few players stole someone's cell phone and copied files....and thus far, have not been punished for committing what was possibly a criminal act..even if they thought it was for a good cause.

Seriously...just wondering what someone should have done that was not done?  Maybe fire Clint right after the Ga game?  Guess that was possible but short of that, not sure what else could have been done.   As you've noted, there was not viable evidence covered up and probably to put the best light on it,  Assoc AD was probably trying to keep the players out of trouble among other things since I guess it was within possibility that the player could have filed charges against her team mates.

This is a first class mess but in my view at least, the early articles grossly overstates what apparently went on.....and does seem that they have backed off a bit on the sensationalism.

Might be the excuse many are wanting to get rid of JJ...but if so, everyone on the softball coaching staff should go also.  .

 

 

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29 minutes ago, AU64 said:

I hear your frustration but what is the "this" that you are talking about?   Can't see than anything that happened is not out there for public knowledge at this point.  A coach messed up big time and got fired for it.   Sounds like a few players stole someone's cell phone and copied files....and thus far, have not been punished for committing what was possibly a criminal act..even if they thought it was for a good cause.

Seriously...just wondering what someone should have done that was not done?  Maybe fire Clint right after the Ga game?  Guess that was possible but short of that, not sure what else could have been done.   As you've noted, there was not viable evidence covered up and probably to put the best light on it,  Assoc AD was probably trying to keep the players out of trouble among other things since I guess it was within possibility that the player could have filed charges against her team mates.

This is a first class mess but in my view at least, the early articles grossly overstates what apparently went on.....and does seem that they have backed off a bit on the sensationalism.

Might be the excuse many are wanting to get rid of JJ...but if so, everyone on the softball coaching staff should go also.  .

 

 

My post was a response to AU9377, where they stated "This will fade from any mention if Auburn people will allow it to do so."

My reaction to that statement was that there may be some Auburn people that want answers instead of allowing this to fade from mention.

I believe the Administration would love nothing more than for the Auburn people to hush up, not ask questions and for journalists/media members to stop digging for the details.

At the end of the day,  like another SEC coach once said, "Mistakes were made."

 

 

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I take no pleasure in the possibility of watching Auburn search for a new AD with a brand new President that's been here only 2 months.  

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45 minutes ago, doverstutts said:

I want a competent athletic department headed up by a  competent AD so S**t like this won't happen, and if and when it does, it will be handled correctly

You might get your wish.

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2 minutes ago, keesler said:

I take no pleasure in the possibility of watching Auburn search for a new AD with a brand new President that's been here only 2 months.  

Scary ain't it?

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9 minutes ago, keesler said:

I take no pleasure in the possibility of watching Auburn search for a new AD with a brand new President that's been here only 2 months.  

I don't see why not. Honestly. Clean slate.

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1 hour ago, doverstutts said:

I want a competent athletic department headed up by a  competent AD so S**t like this won't happen, and if and when it does, it will be handled correctly

YES, YES, YES!!

The idea that this should fade from memory is reprehensible.  Jay Jacobs is a thief and a liar...when we will Auburn people demand better than a crappier, scummier version of Jethro Bodeen as an athletic director?  This guy is worse than a boat anchor.

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12 minutes ago, PowerOfDixieland said:

YES, YES, YES!!

The idea that this should fade from memory is reprehensible.  Jay Jacobs is a thief and a liar...when we will Auburn people demand better than a crappier, scummier version of Jethro Bodeen as an athletic director?  This guy is worse than a boat anchor.

Bhhhhwwwwaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...That is my nickname for him                         JETHRO

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