What's going on in the Athletic Dept and Lt. Gen Burgess?

[Auhud08 596]

16 minutes ago, DAG said:

I just read the Phillip Marshall article 

Key Notes:

Basically says AG was on the peripheral on all big time decisions including the chuck person ordeal, Gus's firing, 

Says boosters got money to get rid of Gus and presented it to Gogue, who got rid of him (But mentions AG did not want to fire him).

Apparently the boosters pushed for CKS but Gogue stopped it

Gogue initiated a search committee and put AG at the head of it

OKd AG to hire CBH

AG "thought" he had a mandate to cut sports expenses while raising money for the football only complex. Cut expenses by 10 percent across the board. COVID made finances even worse. Promises put on back order and now coaches are mad.

 

After reading some of that I conclude, this still makes zero sense and seems to be highly inconsistent. However, I let others take it for what it is. 

I actually think its consistent. What I take from that is this: Greene is very much a capable AD but hes had a lot to deal with in his first big time stint. Big time decisions this early in the SEC? Thats tough. Not making excuses but he probably didnt want to be the guy to go ask for $25m from the people hes trying to get money from to get a football facility. Then you throw covid on top. Recipe for imposter syndrome. I still think he’ll be good he just needs to catch a few breaks. 

[DAG 33,982]

1 minute ago, Auhud08 said:

I actually think its consistent. What I take from that is this: Greene is very much a capable AD but hes had a lot to deal with in his first big time stint. Big time decisions this early in the SEC? Thats tough. Not making excuses but he probably didnt want to be the guy to go ask for $25m from the people hes trying to get money from to get a football facility. Then you throw covid on top. Recipe for imposter syndrome. I still think he’ll be good he just needs to catch a few breaks. 

So my first question is what is his Jobe role as AD? Apparently he did not have any input in the dealings of BP or the Gus Malzahn firing.

My second concern is why did he think he had an okay to cut 10% across the board? Wouldn't somebody had to okay that especially since he already had no input on the hiring or firing of previous coaches.

Third. He didn't have any hiring or firing input or decision for pearl or CGM (Although PM says he was resistant to it), but now Gogue trust him enough to lead a search and okay his hire?

 

So exactly what is the role of the AD?

[Win4AU 4,052]

Only coaches I care about being upset are Bruce and Butch.  Didn’t Auburn just do some renovations to the brand new bball arena?  I’d like to add that having to do anything to an Arena as new as ours reflects badly on the people in charge.  Didn’t I also see that Auburn is finishing up some baseball related facilities as well?  Who are the coaches that are upset?  

[Auhud08 596]

10 minutes ago, DAG said:

So my first question is what is his Jobe role as AD? Apparently he did not have any input in the dealings of BP or the Gus Malzahn firing.

My second concern is why did he think he had an okay to cut 10% across the board? Wouldn't somebody had to okay that especially since he already had no input on the hiring or firing of previous coaches.

Third. He didn't have any hiring or firing input or decision for pearl or CGM (Although PM says he was resistant to it), but now Gogue trust him enough to lead a search and okay his hire?

 

So exactly what is the role of the AD?

Im not saying that isnt the role of an AD. What Im saying is that Green is a good, not overly experienced AD. He wouldve been successful at all but 3 SEC schools IMO (LSU, Aub, Tenn). What Auburn needed in this moment(s) was an experienced, well-established, and connected AD. Unfortunately, because of Auburn’s severe lack of leadership of the past decade no experienced well-established AD was going to come here.
 

What we need is for our BOD to hire first a strong president (“Pay the man/woman”). Then we need to get some things in order- establish processes and rules that make it more difficult for politics to play a role and less impactful when they are. From there Auburn will be set up for success for years to come.

We dont have that though, we’re still running everything on the back of a napkin and through phone calls. Its as if every direction we give is in the same vein as Lee’s direction at Gettysburg- “if practicable”. Leaves too much room for interpretation and thats exactly how some people want it. 

[ellitor 33,093]

1 hour ago, DAG said:

Wait? This was common knowledge. We need to take a poll because I don't remember any insiders on this board saying AG was resistant to the firing of Gus. 

I'm not an insider but I was around then & I know I, Bird, & probably Golf posted it back then. Probably got lost like a needle in a haystack given as long & dramatic as threads were then.

[DAG 33,982]

7 minutes ago, Auhud08 said:

Im not saying that isnt the role of an AD. What Im saying is that Green is a good, not overly experienced AD. He wouldve been successful at all but 3 SEC schools IMO (LSU, Aub, Tenn). What Auburn needed in this moment(s) was an experienced, well-established, and connected AD. Unfortunately, because of Auburn’s severe lack of leadership of the past decade no experienced well-established AD was going to come here.
 

What we need is for our BOD to hire first a strong president (“Pay the man/woman”). Then we need to get some things in order- establish processes and rules that make it more difficult for politics to play a role and less impactful when they are. From there Auburn will be set up for success for years to come.

We dont have that though, we’re still running everything on the back of a napkin and through phone calls. Its as if every direction we give is in the same vein as Lee’s direction at Gettysburg- “if practicable”. Leaves too much room for interpretation and thats exactly how some people want it. 

I agree with that. Greene is quite a bit Green in his gig.

 

 

I just hope if we do get another AD, it is someone with credentials and resume to back it. Not just another legacy hire. Oliver Luck !!!! Pipe dream

 

[ellitor 33,093]

59 minutes ago, DAG said:

I just read the Phillip Marshall article 

Key Notes:

Basically says AG was on the peripheral on all big time decisions including the chuck person ordeal, Gus's firing, 

Says boosters got money to get rid of Gus and presented it to Gogue, who got rid of him (But mentions AG did not want to fire him).

Apparently the boosters pushed for CKS but Gogue stopped it

Gogue initiated a search committee and put AG at the head of it

OKd AG to hire CBH

AG "thought" he had a mandate to cut sports expenses while raising money for the football only complex. Cut expenses by 10 percent across the board. COVID made finances even worse. Promises put on back order and now coaches are mad.

 

After reading some of that I conclude, this still makes zero sense and seems to be highly inconsistent. However, I let others take it for what it is. 

It's a free read so here it is fo all to see

 

Quote

 

Greene's Auburn story still to be told

By Phillip Marshall Jul 11, 2:14 AM

Auburn athletics director Allen Greene is a good man with good intentions. He wants to win. I don’t believe there is any evidence otherwise or really any question about it. He is highly intelligent, articulate and of high character.

But the move of Lt. Gen. Ron Burgess, the university’s chief operating officer, into an athletic department office clearly indicates issues that must be dealt with. It is a serious chapter in Greene's as yet unfinished Auburn story.

Greene did not come to Auburn at the easiest of times or with a wealth of experience. He’d been athletics director at Buffalo for three years. He was deputy athletic director at Buffalo for three years and an assistant athletics director/fundraiser for four years at Ole Miss. He was hired by former Auburn president Steven Leath in June of 2018. Leath intended to be heavily involved in athletic department affairs. Grumbling had begun before Greene arrived.

The previous December, Leath and trustee  Raymond Harbert led the way in giving head coach Gus Malzahn a godfather contract after his 2017 team beat Georgia and Alabama when both were ranked No.1. They bought into the fear that Malzahn might leave for Arkansas, which was never going to happen. Once the 2017 team lost 28-7 to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game and 34-27 to Central Florida in the Peach Bowl, the new contract became more controversial. Soon, there was a move on Malzahn’s job, despite a giant buyout. It was within hours of happening before Harbert convinced Leath it was not the right move.

Greene, of course, had nothing to do with Malzahn’s contract. He also had to deal with the fallout from Chuck Person’s arrest and the standoff that followed between basketball coach Bruce Pearl and Leath. In all those matters, Greene was on the periphery. He was not the decision-maker.

 

In June of 2019, Leath was fired by the Board of Trustees. Former president Jay Gogue returned. Greene had moved to Auburn to work for a president who was going to be very involved. Gogue had a different view.

Greene. believing he had a mandate to cut expenses even as he raised money for a new football complex, cut individual sports budgets 10 percent across the board. He replaced charter flights with bus rides whenever possible, including in football and men’s basketball. Coaches were told to stay in less expensive hotels. Promised facilities for baseball and softball were delayed and then reduced in scope.

Along came COVID-19, a financial issue for everyone but not a financial disaster for SEC programs. Auburn’s 2020-2021 athletic year was a disaster overall. The football team went 6-5 and Malzahn was fired. Gogue stopped an effort to name defensive coordinator Kevin Steele head coach and put Greene, who was not on board with firing Malzahn, in charge of a search committee. With Gogue’s blessing, Greene hired Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin.

Most Auburn head coaches – and not just in the so-called Olympic sports – were unhappy with what they saw as a lack of support and lack of understanding from Greene and the upper echelon of the department. They took their concerns to Gogue, leading to a meeting among the coaches, Gogue and Burgess. The result was promises of change and Burgess establishing an office in the athletic department.

That cannot be viewed as business as usual.

Did Greene’s lack of experience as an athletic director, along with the departure of the man who hired him, work against him? It had to make things harder. Cutting fat from budgets is a good thing, but winning is the main thing. When winning doesn’t happen in sports big and small, when Auburn finishes 12th in the SEC all-sports race, it comes back on the athletics director.

Greene, without any question, wants to win in every sport. He also wants to save money. Cutting expenses is not usually compatible with winning in the SEC. It is certain that not winning will eventually be a big problem financially.

Under Greene’s watch, the basketball team has played in the Final Four and the baseball team has played in the College World Series. But success has been, at best, sporadic.

No matter what the future holds for Greene, whether he is the long-term answer at Auburn or whether he moves on to continue his career somewhere else, the past three-plus years will be a significant part of his story.

 

 

[ellitor 33,093]

Just now, DAG said:

I agree with that. Greene is quite a bit Green in his gig.

Definitely. he was basically brought in to handle finances & follow Leath's orders. Now that he's required to be a full on AD he came in to AU without the experience needed for that role. There is talk now that he may indeed stay a good while & gain valuable experience by General Burgess helping him.

[au701948 998]

I hope that

11 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Definitely. he was basically brought in to handle finances & follow Leath's orders. Now that he's required to be a full on AD he came in to AU without the experience needed for that role. There is talk now that he may indeed stay a good while & gain valuable experience by General Burgess helping him.

i am hoping the “Burgess helps Greene” scenario plays out as I believe with the combined efforts of Burgess and Greene could benefit  Auburn a great deal. Working together and communicating closely on needs of our coaches and athletes may very well be what Auburn could use right now. JMO

[Carnell 592]

20 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Definitely. he was basically brought in to handle finances & follow Leath's orders. Now that he's required to be a full on AD he came in to AU without the experience needed for that role. There is talk now that he may indeed stay a good while & gain valuable experience by General Burgess helping him.

I am not impressed with his ability to handle finances for the budget crisis.  All he appears to do is cost cutting  but revenue enhancers are far more effective dealing with budget crisis than cost cutting.  He can look into the possibility of selling alchol at jordanhare.  He can look at an appeal for the general operating fund of the altheltic dept.  He has a lot to learn maybe the General can bring him rapidly along the learning curve.

 

[AuburnNTexas 7,143]

He was in a bad position he had the fallout of the Leath inspired contract for Gus that made getting rid of Gus hard and expensive. Then I am sure Leath told him to cut cost's and he did what the president asked.  Then he really stepped up in the Harsin hiring process.  As far as I am concerned the way he handled the Behind the scenes Power Brokers at Auburn in taking away their ability to pick the new coach and to go to an organized well thought out search showed a lot of courage and skill.  Yes he probably does need some help from the General as it is a big change from Buffaloe to the SEC. 

He is smart and in facing down the money men he has Auburn on the right path when picking coaches. He also has had some bad luck prior to season I though Auburn would be a baseball contender but key injuries de-railed that, Softball lack of hitting also hurt but green was not responsible for that. Our Woman's gymnastic's just got a commitment from an Olympian and was much improved. I think we have a dynamic Volleyball coach who will turn that program around. Basketball was down a little because of so many seniors graduating then SEC holing up Cooper and and a key Injury to Powell. Track and Field and swimming have been down for a long time, it will take a while for them to come back.

No doubt the cost cutting was a mistake but when your President tells you to do it you do it.  The General will help on the money side and Greene will grow into that part of the position.  

I expect a really good basketball team this year, a solid football team under a new coach, a very good gymnastic's team, an improved volleyball team, I am not sure about softball, Baseball should be at least middle of the pack, we have a new swimming coach.  We are building a new Football complex we must upgrade Baseball and softball complex, lets see if the General and Green get on the wagon to improve the baseball and softball complexes if they do then I think Greene will have a long and successful tenure at Auburn.   

I think Gogue see's Greene's strength's and weaknesses and rather then trying to get rid of him he is helping him to overcome his weaknesses to make him the great AD.

[au302 2,669]

2 hours ago, ellitor said:

@au302 That's not all of a sudden. That's been known for a long time & was posted by insiders on all 3 major AU message boards including this one since even a little before Gus was let go.

Where did you here this? First I have heard of it.

 

Didn't go from Green to Gouge. The boosters got the money up to fire Gus (Rayne, Harbert & 1 other) & went straight to Gogue. Gogue OKed it & Gus was gone without input from ADAG. Once that was done then Rayne & company pushed Steele hard on Gogue. He said no & then ADAG was brought in along with doing the search committee headed by him, the General, & Q.

You're right on that first part. I do remember that was said months ago so I shouldn't have wrote that. In terms of part two about Greene being ok with the Steele plan before Gogue stepping in, I remember reading that a few days ago in this thread. I think maybe someone said they heard that on a Montgomery radio station this week? I'm not sure I'll have to go read back.

Regardless, the order of events you laid out at the end there makes sense. It's all in the past now, glad to hear Burgess is going to help AG out

[toddc 13,194]

2 hours ago, DAG said:

Wait? This was common knowledge. We need to take a poll because I don't remember any insiders on this board saying AG was resistant to the firing of Gus. 

I don’t either.

[cole256 17,059]

2 hours ago, toddc said:

I don’t either.

Me neither. I even remember me making a thread about saying so he's got rid of Gus and it received a bunch of likes. Didn't even get the one 👎 from you know who

[cbo 7,846]

2 hours ago, toddc said:

I don’t either.

Me neither. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

It would actually make sense that ADAG didn't want to let Gus go if he is so focused on balancing the budget. Don't get me wrong, anyone paying attention knew long time ago that Gus was not the man for the job. But that's a Leath problem and a lot of people made a compelling case for not paying that buyout.

As for Harsin, that's all ADAG. 

[eaglenest 332]

4 hours ago, DAG said:

I agree with that. Greene is quite a bit Green in his gig.

 

 

I just hope if we do get another AD, it is someone with credentials and resume to back it. Not just another legacy hire. Oliver Luck !!!! Pipe dream

 

WOW!!!! just incredible

[ellitor 33,093]

1 hour ago, cbo said:

Me neither. 

Ok. I could be mistaken on it being posted on this site but I know JGT on Rivals said it many times. I thought I brought it over but maybe I didn't. Unfortunately not all the juicy stuff from pay walls get brought over. I will amend & say it was common knowledge behind pay walls that ADAG didn't want Gus fired at the time. And it's for the reasons Loof stated on the fiscality of doing it.

[Hank2020 3,199]

5 hours ago, DAG said:

I agree with that. Greene is quite a bit Green in his gig.

 

 

I just hope if we do get another AD, it is someone with credentials and resume to back it. Not just another legacy hire. Oliver Luck !!!! Pipe dream

 

Can only hire the ones that would come.

[cbo 7,846]

39 minutes ago, ellitor said:

Ok. I could be mistaken on it being posted on this site but I know JGT on Rivals said it many times. I thought I brought it over but maybe I didn't. Unfortunately not all the juicy stuff from pay walls get brought over. I will amend & say it was common knowledge behind pay walls that ADAG didn't want Gus fired at the time. And it's for the reasons Loof stated on the fiscality of doing it.

Completely fair. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,662]

12 hours ago, ellitor said:

Ok. I could be mistaken on it being posted on this site but I know JGT on Rivals said it many times. I thought I brought it over but maybe I didn't. Unfortunately not all the juicy stuff from pay walls get brought over. I will amend & say it was common knowledge behind pay walls that ADAG didn't want Gus fired at the time. And it's for the reasons Loof stated on the fiscality of doing it.

I remember this being brought up in the discussion before CGM was let go. Or perhaps it was just people speculating that ADAG wouldn’t want to let him go because of the buyout.

Again, I might have had a beer or three since then, so….

[AUMASTERS 555]

13 hours ago, cole256 said:

Me neither. I even remember me making a thread about saying so he's got rid of Gus and it received a bunch of likes. Didn't even get the one 👎 from you know who

Just messing with you Cole with the down vote.

[Swamp Eagle 5,134]

14 hours ago, cbo said:

Me neither. 

Maybe it was posted in the Platinum thread..😎

[aubiefifty 16,778]

18 hours ago, DAG said:

I agree with that. Greene is quite a bit Green in his gig.

 

 

I just hope if we do get another AD, it is someone with credentials and resume to back it. Not just another legacy hire. Oliver Luck !!!! Pipe dream

 

dag some folks have said leath wanted bruce fired and he researched it and refused. i love the man for that alone.

[DAG 33,982]

Just now, aubiefifty said:

dag some folks have said leath wanted bruce fired and he researched it and refused. i love the man for that alone.

Well that is what I thought as well. But PM is saying AG had nothing to do with that and was on the peripheral for it. So like I said someone is lying. What I will say is this all boils down to the money and it is easily resolvable. It was made out to be something much bigger than it truly was.