Give Him a Chance

[DKW 86 7,419]

9 hours ago, fasttimes said:

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A74383d86-3fb6-4fbf-88cb-99b059c860ab&viewer!megaVerb=group-discover

The only way to win a battle on Social Media is to choose not to play.

[BHDAU1 240]

Over the last 3 or 4 days I have read thru the NCAA report and numerous online articles, some of which were published at the time of the investigation and others published within the last few weeks. With that research done, I can say with all honesty that I am happy with the hire.  It seems to me that nearly 75% of the stuff being said about Freeze by people in the media and posters in various forums is inaccurate garbage and not supported by facts.  Most of the negative press coverage is sensationalized and often incomplete.  The number of Level 1 infractions they keep spouting off about is a perfect example, many of those occurred BEFORE Freeze was even the head coach and yet they don't mention that.  They also do not mention that the infractions committed while he was head coach were mainly between boosters and recruits and without his knowledge.  In fact, the NCAA stated very clearly in that report that Freeze HAD built a program at Ole Miss designed to be in compliance with all of the NCAA rules and regulations.  His downfall was not monitoring his staff and the boosters closely enough. I believe he learned his lesson and will be exemplary as Auburn's Head Football Coach. 
 

[BHDAU1 240]

Oh I forgot one other thing to mention about Freeze.  All of that stuff about escorts, etc. in his personal life was not a good look for him or Ole Miss, and he was publicly humiliated for it.  Yet again it was also sensationalized for clickbait when you learn the known facts rather than the various rumors, etc..  The fact is that his wife and family forgave him, so it's not my place to hold it against him as long as he doesn't do it again and hurt the program while employed by Auburn. 

Finally, just one last quick thought.  In doing research on Freeze's offense I watched a highlight video of Malik Willis at Liberty on youtube.  HOLY FREAKIN CRAP!!! how did we have Willis at Auburn for TWO YEARS and not one of the coaches recognize his talent and ability???  Its not as if he transferred and immediately became leaps and bounds better by changing schools.  He had to have been showing some of this exceptional ability in practice, and even if he didn't show this in practice, he would have if his coaches were getting the best out of him.  If you haven't seen Malik Willis Liberty highlights, you should check it out.  Pretty amazing what Freeze did with him, and it also gives us an idea of what AU's offense will look like with Freeze running the show.

[jj3jordan 2,051]

I was a Willis fan from the beginning. We failed miserably with him. He could have been special and led us to some big wins.

[gabo4au 227]

So many people here need to get a grip. 

 

Coach Freeze is OUR coach. Coach Cadillac has accepted him and even said he was very impressed. He's said he wants to emulate coach Bruce Pearl, who had his own demons and is now an AU legend. He is well respected by high school coaches, has taken AU transfers and done wonders with them. His family has his back.

 

We all need to get behind CHF and support him. Stop this madness, Stop being JABA! There is so much unfounded hysteria about a person, come on man stop with all the BS!

[wareaglexx 34]

7 - 8 Wins next year, All in.  6 - 6 -He gets another year.  If he is one of the best, then this should be attainable year one, especially if he pulls good talent from the portal and can attract some talented Highschool players and improve QB play and have a qualified backup QB ready to go in at a moment's notice...  Not saying we need new QBs, just need to improve current talent.  This is his chance.

[TigerfanKM 37]

I agree, give him a chance. If you don't have faith in him or want to support him, go root for another team! 

War Eagle CHF and AHCCW!!!

Edited November 30, 2022 by TigerfanKM

[tigerrules 517]

I don’t know Hugh  Freeze as a man.  I only know what I read and what is presented in the media.  I will let his family be an indicator of his character, those around him routinely. I will focus on what he delivers for the Auburn program.  History will have to tell us the story of Coach freeze. 
 

I am struggling.  But I will support the decision and the coach until his behavior tells me differently.  

[MaxCohen216 514]

5 hours ago, JBiGGiE said:

Sorry, but I find it hard to support a coach who needs his internet usage monitored like a child and a PR firm hired to mitigate the public backlash from the school's own fanbase.

The shorter his tenure is here, the happier I will be. I am disappointed and frankly embarrassed how deceptive this farce of a coaching "search" that has turned out. We hired the coach our boosters have wanted since February. No other school would touch Freeze despite being a program builder. Why is that? Perhaps it's because our vetting process didn't go any further than the phone call to YellaFella.

And then rather than address fan concerns, John Cohen answers zero questions and trots Freeze out like...

A few years from now, Freeze will have proven himself a changed man and a great football coach for AU.

I made mistakes when I was young too.  More than I'd like to admit.  I'm glad I changed, and that I'm not still being judged for my former bad behavior.

[JDUBB4AU 5,112]

War Eagle Coach Freeze. It’s time. I got news for everyone. Freeze is pissed and the SEC will be put on notice. 

[MaxCohen216 514]

1 minute ago, JDUBB4AU said:

War Eagle Coach Freeze. It’s time. I got news for everyone. Freeze is pissed and the SEC will be put on notice. 

I'm out of likes tonight, so I'll just say "Hell yes".

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

3 minutes ago, MaxCohen216 said:

A few years from now, Freeze will have proven himself a changed man and a great football coach for AU.

I made mistakes when I was young too.  More than I'd like to admit.  I'm glad I changed, and that I'm not still being judged for my former bad behavior.

But is it change when the only time you take accountability for your actions is when you're forced to? That's my core issue. Hugh Freeze has a laundry list of issues that folks have worked overtime to dismiss or excuse... the only instance of him taking responsibility for his actions has been admitting his infidelity - and even then he refused to admit calling the escort services.

Now I've said it elsewhere, I would love to be swayed. I don't believe anyone is irredeemable. But one instance of remorse in the face of a career-long pattern of criminally stupid decision-making does not convince me that he is anything other than a lying, sleezy creep who thinks he can win his way into people's good graces.

[MaxCohen216 514]

5 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

But is it change when the only time you take accountability for your actions is when you're forced to? That's my core issue. Hugh Freeze has a laundry list of issues that folks have worked overtime to dismiss or excuse... the only instance of him taking responsibility for his actions has been admitting his infidelity - and even then he refused to admit calling the escort services.

Now I've said it elsewhere, I would love to be swayed. I don't believe anyone is irredeemable. But one instance of remorse in the face of a career-long pattern of criminally stupid decision-making does not convince me that he is anything other than a lying, sleezy creep who thinks he can win his way into people's good graces.

I can't refute your stance, and probably wouldn't if I thought I could.  The man has made very bad mistakes, and may be a total snake oil salesman for all I know.

But he's our coach now, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, until and unless he shows that he doesn't deserve it.

I can be gullible at times...

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

7 minutes ago, MaxCohen216 said:

I can't refute your stance, and probably wouldn't if I thought I could.  The man has made very bad mistakes, and may be a total snake oil salesman for all I know.

But he's our coach now, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, until and unless he shows that he doesn't deserve it.

I can be gullible at times...

My friend, I think your logic is backwards.

He has already done everything not to deserve any benefit of doubt... because of the mistakes he's made. He is the coach now for Auburn in spite of every reason he should not be... there can only be doubt until proven otherwise.

[CCTAU 3,314]

12 hours ago, DyeCampAlum said:

No. This is not about Hugh Freeze getting second chances. I hope he gets all the second chances in the world. For example, his wife and daughters are still with him.

This is about running an institution with integrity. Just months ago, the guy was messaging an alum of his own institution to stop talking about their failures to protect women from sexual assault, specifically hiring a guy who left his previous job due to him implication in a series of institutional failures regarding sexual assault by athletes.

I teach in a theological seminary. Please do not confuse institutional integrity with forgiveness and second chances. Those are very different things.

I will always love Auburn. But I am done with Auburn sports. Those are different things too.

Go in peace. 
However don’t be poisoning the well on your way out.  
 

[MaxCohen216 514]

1 minute ago, JBiGGiE said:

My friend, I think your logic is backwards.

He has already done everything not to deserve any benefit of doubt... because of the mistakes he's made. He is the coach now for Auburn in spite of every reason he should not be... there can only be doubt until proven otherwise.

OK J, you may be right.

In the mean time, let's fish sometime.

[jj3jordan 2,051]

24 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

But is it change when the only time you take accountability for your actions is when you're forced to? That's my core issue. Hugh Freeze has a laundry list of issues that folks have worked overtime to dismiss or excuse... the only instance of him taking responsibility for his actions has been admitting his infidelity - and even then he refused to admit calling the escort services.

Now I've said it elsewhere, I would love to be swayed. I don't believe anyone is irredeemable. But one instance of remorse in the face of a career-long pattern of criminally stupid decision-making does not convince me that he is anything other than a lying, sleezy creep who thinks he can win his way into people's good graces.

Isn’t that when most people change? When they are forced to? Why else would they change? Lots of forces can cause change but whatever those forces are can effectively box one into a corner forcing them to change. It can be your own conscience, convicted by God because of your straying from your faith. 

[CCTAU 3,314]

2 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

The only way to win a battle on Social Media is to choose not to play.

No truer words have been spoken. 
The uninformed Twitter mob lost. 
Thank goodness for strong leaders. 

[fasttimes 356]

2 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

The only way to win a battle on Social Media is to choose not to play.

those are text, but i found it interesting he cant answer simple questions about what he did and said and keeps interjecting being a Christian into the convo to get reprieve.

[Randy4AU 109]

Let's all get behind Coach Hugh Freeze and our Auburn Tigers! 

[CCTAU 3,314]

7 minutes ago, fasttimes said:

those are text, but i found it interesting he cant answer simple questions about what he did and said and keeps interjecting being a Christian into the convo to get reprieve.

Are you his priest!

He doesn’t owe you an answer. And whatever answer he gives, the likes of you will never accept it. It’s in the past. AU vetted it and he is now our coach. 
 

[fasttimes 356]

1 minute ago, CCTAU said:

Are you his priest!
 

i am not!

[roe4christ 940]

1 hour ago, JBiGGiE said:

But is it change when the only time you take accountability for your actions is when you're forced to? That's my core issue. Hugh Freeze has a laundry list of issues that folks have worked overtime to dismiss or excuse... the only instance of him taking responsibility for his actions has been admitting his infidelity - and even then he refused to admit calling the escort services.

Now I've said it elsewhere, I would love to be swayed. I don't believe anyone is irredeemable. But one instance of remorse in the face of a career-long pattern of criminally stupid decision-making does not convince me that he is anything other than a lying, sleezy creep who thinks he can win his way into people's good graces.

Give it a rest.

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

48 minutes ago, roe4christ said:

Give it a rest.

[Cardin Drake 1,825]

10 hours ago, aucom96 said:

I'm not really concerned about Hugh Freeze, just Auburn. 

The hire has been made. It's going to take a few years and a lot of wins to convince me this wasn't the dumbest hire Auburn has ever made. And at best, I'm still going to think of it as a dumb hire. When you have a recruiting problem, you don't go and hire a PR problem. The two are a very bad mix. 

But, it's done and I hope it works out for the best for Auburn. 

There are actually a lot of thoughtful posts on this thread. This probably comes closest to how I feel about it  I didn't think we should hire him, because the public impression it gives Auburn is so very negative.  I don't want to be known as the school that cuts corners and cheats.  One thing I truly liked about Gus is that his integrity was never questioned and he kept the program out of trouble.  My problem isn't with Freeze the man or Freeze the coach, it's with the perception it gives that Auburn is willing to trade it's integrity for wins on the football field. So I completely get why some of you are so opposed to Freeze.

That said, we've already taken the PR hit, and we can't undo it. The best path forward is success and redemption for Freeze, so that's where I hope we  go. I do think Freeze is a very good football coach, much better than Kiffen. A relentless recruiter who works 24/7  is what we need right now.

On a side note, I wonder if Kiffen really played us to get a raise, or whether we willing let him play us to get Freeze.  The more I think about it, the more I think it's the later.  I think some folks wanted Freeze all along, but knew they couldn't just come out and say he was their first choice, so what do you know, we had to "settle" for him.  I think they knew Kiffen would back out once he got his raise at Ole Miss.  Things aren't always what they appear to be on the surface. Usually exhaustive searches wind up with the guy everybody wanted at the beginning.