Give Him a Chance

[GTNupe11 2,033]

I didn't read your post thoroughly but using 18/19/20 year old kids as examples of "second chances" is ridiculous. Freeze was a grown ass man when he made his choices. I'll give the guy credit for weathering the s*** storm for the past 7 years and will support the team because I love Auburn but it is cringeworthy having to sit and listen to media ask the Head Coach about his past scandalous behavior. We have all made mistakes but it isn't a good look any way you all try and dress it up. I'm at least excited to see what the team will look like but not in the least excited about the hire itself. With that said, as long as he treats the players well then he'll be alright with me!

[AU-24 3,063]

12 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

I highly respect your decision, your feelings.

I have always loved HF as an Xs and Os coach.  His talent is undeniable.

However, I have never been able to tell the difference between him using his religion for his own purposes and, his genuine following of the teaching of Jesus.  HF may be a better actor than his is football coach.  I can't tell and, that really bothers me.

I want to like and support HF but, I want to be sure I am not simply dropping all principle for the sake of "winning".  I have never wanted Auburn to be a win at any cost institution.  There is enough of that mentality in society now.  It is ultimately destructive.  It is not only immoral/unethical but, it is the very definition of stupid.

I think this is a very dangerous hire for Auburn and,,, the real danger may lie more in football success leading to a greater institutional failure that bleeds into an already compromised practice of "Christian" faith.

I do not want to impose upon you but, I would love to know more about your thoughts.  PM me if you wish to share.  And, I thank you for what you have already shared.

If he is acting, he’s been doing it for over six years now! And four of the six years he’s been doing it at a Southern Baptist, evangelical Christian school. That is one heck of an act!

[Indy 166]

Didn't like the mention of his name when it first happened.

Didn't want him to be the hire.

Not happy that he was.

 

From a coaching standpoint, I'm not concerned.  I just felt like Auburn absolutely 100% did not need to bring a guy in like this with so much "baggage".  After the last couple of years and the rollercoaster we've all been on, the last thing anyone associated with the football program or the university should want is a circus surrounding the next coach.  How long is he going to be facing questions about past issues?  How long is AU leadership going to be subjected to questions, scrutiny, and protests from students, alumni, and the fanbase? 

 

As a side note, we have a local watch party club here in Indy, run by a fantastic Auburn Grad...club has been around for close to 30 years, i believe.  And she resigned her position and reached out to the University alumni board to remove her name.  And I can't blame her.  She feels very strongly (obviously) about this hire and does not want to be associated with a program that turned over the reigns to this type of person.  Whether you think that to be an extreme reaction or not (personally, I don't), the point is ... why hire a guy that has the potential to create this kind of emotion and division.  Is it worth it?

 

Listen, I love Auburn.  My daughter will be graduating early on December 10th and her degree in Interior Design will open doors for her all over the country for the rest of her life (was offered and accepted a job after her sophomore year internship!).  Wife and I have been Auburn fans since we each had friends attend AU in the early 90s...will always be a special place for us and our family.  Forever.  Will I support the program? Yes?  Will we root for the success of the kids and the coach?  Absolutely,  But I am very disappointed with the decision that suggests that wins are more important than character.  In my opinion, this does not represent the Auburn Creed very well.

 

Sorry for the ramble and thx for reading this far.  War Eagle!

[GreenTiger 1,000]

4 hours ago, AU-24 said:

If he is acting, he’s been doing it for over six years now! And four of the six years he’s been doing it at a Southern Baptist, evangelical Christian school. That is one heck of an act!

For what it’s worth…. I served as a faculty member at a SBC university for 12 years. I’m very in tune with evangelical religious groups and behaviors. My experience in that culture is that these are some of the most accomplished actors in our society.  

[Hank2020 3,195]

5 minutes ago, GreenTiger said:

For what it’s worth…. I served as a faculty member at a SBC university for 12 years. I’m very in tune with evangelical religious groups and behaviors. My experience in that culture is that these are some of the most accomplished actors in our society.  

I guess that makes you an understudy.

[GreenTiger 1,000]

15 minutes ago, Hank2020 said:

I guess that makes you an understudy.

I’m happy to have a respectable and thoughtful conversation with you about this topic privately of you are interested. Sorry if my comment upset you in some way. 

[Hank2020 3,195]

5 minutes ago, GreenTiger said:

I’m happy to have a respectable and thoughtful conversation with you about this topic privately of you are interested. Sorry if my comment upset you in some way. 

Thx for the offer. No need on my side. I figured if we were painting with such a large brush, I could paint also. Just a poor attempt at humor. Happens to me all the time. 

[GreenTiger 1,000]

1 minute ago, Hank2020 said:

Thx for the offer. No need on my side. I figured if we were painting with such a large brush, I could paint also. Just a poor attempt at humor. Happens to me all the time. 

Yes I’am citing broad generalizations about my broad experience and actual knowledge of that culture. Your comment was directed at me personally. Nothing general about it. It seems the intent was to be passive aggressive at me directly. Again if you want to have a respectable and mature conversation about inauthentic religious behavior and culture then I’m happy to have one with you. That’s cool if not. Hope you have a great day! 

[Hank2020 3,195]

5 minutes ago, GreenTiger said:

Yes I’am citing broad generalizations about my broad experience and actual knowledge of that culture. Your comment was directed at me personally. Nothing general about it. It seems the intent was to be passive aggressive at me directly. Again if you want to have a respectable and mature conversation about inauthentic religious behavior and culture then I’m happy to have one with you. That’s cool if not. Hope you have a great day! 

Sorry if you took my comment personally. I wasn’t attacking you at all. I was joking. Generally, when I am serious,  I find I have to spend most of my time working on keeping myself in line with my beliefs rather than working on anyone else. I also know this isn’t the place for it so again, it was not meant with any underlying intentions. I am not smart enough to be passively aggressive and it would be wasted time snd effort on a football forum. I intend on having a good day too, toting Christmas decorations around for the spouse.

[GreenTiger 1,000]

Just now, Hank2020 said:

Sorry if you took my comment personally. I wasn’t attacking you at all. I was joking. Generally, when I am serious,  I find I have to spend most of my time working on keeping myself in line with my beliefs rather than working on anyone else. I also know this isn’t the place for it so again, it was not meant with any underlying intentions. I am not smart enough to be passively aggressive and it would be wasted time snd effort on a football forum. I intend on having a good day too, toting Christmas decorations around for the spouse.

All good my friend! Thanks for the clarification! 

[DKW 86 7,410]

10 hours 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.

You do realize that he is NOW doing exactly what he should have done in the first place? He is no longer engaging, because engaging is what got him here. See, he is learning. 

[DKW 86 7,410]

Last thought: Winning cures everything. I believe he will win. 

[Hank2020 3,195]

7 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

Last thought: Winning cures everything. I believe he will win. 

Sometimes it just removes 1 of the subjects to complain about, unfortunately.

[3rdandLong 4]

Nothing more we can do than support our coach and players. Only time will tell.   We will all find out really quickly if this was a good decision or not. 

[WFE12 9,191]

 

[beagle34 72]

This is how the  Ala media treats our guy. Why does Al.com  allow this stuff ?

[Viper 3,120]

On 11/29/2022 at 2:19 PM, aucom96 said:

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.

Harsin’s two-year record was the worst winning percentage at AU since 1949-1950. 

As Dye once said, “‘Ever’ is a mighty long time.”

Auburn’s worst “ever” hire may have been Earl Brown (1948-1950), but in my lifetime, the worst HC Auburn has hired BY FAR was Harsin.

Edited November 30, 2022 by Viper

[AU-24 3,063]

10 hours ago, GreenTiger said:

For what it’s worth…. I served as a faculty member at a SBC university for 12 years. I’m very in tune with evangelical religious groups and behaviors. My experience in that culture is that these are some of the most accomplished actors in our society.  

I would respectfully disagree, but you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I’m curious, do you think most people in your church are actors? Most people claiming to be Christians in your neighborhood, are they just acting? Again, just curiosity on my part.

Edited November 30, 2022 by AU-24

[EagleEye67 1,937]

I see that more than 75% of my ignored "members" have interjected themselves into this thread.  No surprise there. 

 

I completely understand the objections.  He was def not my first choice.  He has extremely heavy baggage.  I dont condone, support, anything he has done in the past.  He has failed in many ways.  He has an incredible mountain to climb in the PR respect.  

If I were the exalted Auburn PTB...I would have gone elsewhere.

But...

They did not.  They, in their infinite wisdom, chose Danny Hugh.

Having said that, since I cannot stop their choice... I still wish the best for Auburn University.  I want him to succeed. I want our school to succeed.  If he wins, we all win.  That's what I want.  I want his words to be true.  I want him to win for himself, and for AU.

If he fails, it will be soon apparent, and the expected consequences will follow.

Until that time, I will support the coach that Gus Malzahn, Caddy Williams, and others we deeply respect have gone ON RECORD that they support.  

If they have done so, I can do no less.

 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

16 hours ago, GTNupe11 said:

I didn't read your post thoroughly but using 18/19/20 year old kids as examples of "second chances" is ridiculous. Freeze was a grown ass man when he made his choices. I'll give the guy credit for weathering the s*** storm for the past 7 years and will support the team because I love Auburn but it is cringeworthy having to sit and listen to media ask the Head Coach about his past scandalous behavior. We have all made mistakes but it isn't a good look any way you all try and dress it up. I'm at least excited to see what the team will look like but not in the least excited about the hire itself. With that said, as long as he treats the players well then he'll be alright with me!

What’s even worse is people comparing those teen-young adults very minor actions (I’ve seen Cam and the laptop thing mentioned often) to the s*** Hugh got in trouble for 

[Auburn93 517]

10 hours ago, GreenTiger said:

For what it’s worth…. I served as a faculty member at a SBC university for 12 years. I’m very in tune with evangelical religious groups and behaviors. My experience in that culture is that these are some of the most accomplished actors in our society.  

For what it's worth...I teach acting and have spent 35 years with actors, and many of them believe they are saving the world with their acting. Yes, the original Greek word comes from Hypocrite, but Actors and Evangelicals are working from a place of personal truth.

Edited November 30, 2022 by Auburn93

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

3 hours ago, beagle34 said:

This is how the  Ala media treats our guy. Why does Al.com  allow this stuff ?

They’re not the only media doing that to Hugh 

[AU-24 3,063]

3 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

What’s even worse is people comparing those teen-young adults very minor actions (I’ve seen Cam and the laptop thing mentioned often) to the s*** Hugh got in trouble for 

Dieon was accused of sexual assault by more than one woman, cheated on his wife multiple times and several other things but you still support him. Obviously if Freeze screws up, he will be fired for cause, and it won’t cost us a dime. And with all of the research done by AU, it appears he has changed. He said he has changed. Most of you are just upset because you didn’t get “your guy” not that you don’t think Freeze work out.

[fasttimes 356]

6 hours ago, beagle34 said:

This is how the  Ala media treats our guy. Why does Al.com  allow this stuff ?

Lol, what did you expect?

[AU-24 3,063]

13 hours ago, Hank2020 said:

Thx for the offer. No need on my side. I figured if we were painting with such a large brush, I could paint also. Just a poor attempt at humor. Happens to me all the time. 

I thought it was hilarious! Dude that’s judging the entire faculty of a Christian school claiming most of them are acting, gets comically called out by you, then says he wants to talk in private. Simply hilarious!