Give Him a Chance

[abw0004 10,134]

Good morning all,

As it is well known, this past few days has been a whirlwind.  A lot of different emotions have come out from anxiety and exasperation of not hiring a football coach to when the moment finally arrived and we had our coach where many were disappointed.  It appears we, as Auburn fans, are split on what to do from here.  Do we support this coach?  Do we lash out on social media?  Do we simply just walk away from the university?  In trying to stay in true fashion of how I handle my outlook on life I wanted to try to give my two cents.  For you new posters, that is finding the positive and why we need to give Hugh Freeze a chance.

Auburn Athletics in the modern era was built on second chances.  Without us giving people second chances we would not be where we are standing today.  Honestly, I think that is in credit to our roots as a university, where we have more churches than bars.  Now I am not getting on some moral high horse here, but I really do believe that as Christians, you give grace and forgiveness when it isn't deserved.  That you love others and not pass judgement when you expect to go to God and ask him not to judge you.

Without these second chances, we would not have won our second National Championship.  Remember, Cam Newton was charged with a felony.  Not a misdemeanor.  A felony.  We gave him a second chance and I am glad we did.  Not because of what he did on the field, but what he gave to us off of the field too.  Remember Nick Marshall?  He was also arrested and kicked out of Georgia.  There are plenty of other players like this too like Tray Matthews, or even in-house like Stephen Roberts getting arrested for carrying a gun that wasn't his.  They all asked for a second chance and deservingly received it.  Heck, Bruce Pearl definitely was asking for a second chance.  Remember how upset people were when we hired that guy?  Many thought he didn't deserve anything.  Well, Auburn being Auburn gave him just that, a second chance.  Now we went from a program that Auburn tried to pay students to attend in Spirit Points to sold out arenas where students have to wait hours outside just to get a seat.

Of course there are some offenses that you can offer forgiveness to but at the same time not give him a second chance.  From what I have seen it is not to that level.  Yes, Hugh Freeze paid players.  Guess what, almost every powerhouse did that and they definitely do now with the NIL up and running.  Yes, Freeze had a demon that he was dealing with in the form of prostitution.  But again, that is not for us to judge and if his whole family has forgiven him and he has taken steps to eradicate that demon, it isn't anything to worry over.  And yes, I have seen his messages to the sexual assault victim but that was very heavily vetted by our notoriously conservative compliance department and it was a non-issue to them.

What I am not doing is excusing Hugh Freeze's past.  I am not saying we forget about it and turn a blind eye.  What I am saying is to give him a chance.  What is most important is how our players and future players feel about him as our head coach.  So far it has been very positive.  Of course there will most likely be some transfers and some former players disapproving.  After every coaching change there are transfers.  Unless Hugh beats Harsin's insane record of >40 players transferring out, it is nothing to panic over.

Hugh is serious about this second chance and I think we see it in his contract.  Relatively speaking, Freeze is getting paid very little with a lot of clauses in there to allow Auburn to pull the cord if he even thinks about stepping over the line.  One of those clauses is his inability to use social media.  I think that is a great move.  For those of you who attend Church of the Highlands, Chris Hodges does the same thing.  He does not manage his social media to avoid any kind of potential temptation.  His team handles it.

Have any of you done something that makes you cringe just thinking about it?  I have many of those.  I am also really glad I have been offered forgiveness and I want to pay it forward to Hugh.  I am excited for what the new day brings our program.  Our fans and players deserve it.  So, please consider giving him a second chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by abw0004

[AEAugirl 9,635]

Very well said. 

Hugh Freeze hasn’t asked anyone to ignore his transgressions.  He in fact has done the opposite, he’s been EXTREMELY transparent and open about thing he did, how it impacted his family, and their path to restoring what I am sure was a very broken, fractured relationships.   That’s a rare commodity in this day and age. 

If the man’s wife and daughters can grant him forgiveness, a football fan surely can.  

Barnacle posted this in the Nest.  Its very raw and I am sure not the easiest things his daughters have done.   I would encourage everyone to watch it and to try and show some grace to this man and his family whom Auburn has seen fit to give a second chance. 

https://fb.watch/h5LZi4Biu_/

Edited November 29, 2022 by AEAugirl

[AUY2K 272]

I wish nothing but the best for Hugh Freeze.  War Damn Eagle!!  I wish I would have seen these videos earlier - now that he has his personal life in order hopefully he can get Auburn back in contention for SEC Championships and the playoffs!  If he can do that then I see him retiring as an Auburn Tiger and Auburn Man!!!!

[WFE12 9,191]

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by WFE12

[RunInRed 16,528]

Very. Well. Said. 👏

[Timbeaux38 299]

Good friend of mine posted this on Facebook this AM - he was the OC for a few state championship teams in the last several years.

 

Quote

At my job as a teacher and coach I have had the opportunity to meet most of the best college coaches in college football. Hugh Freeze was one of my all time favorites. I had never met him & and we talked for maybe 30 minutes and I left there feeling like I had known him forever. He was just one of the guys. He was as cool as he could be. We talked about cowboy boots and all kinda stuff that had nothing to do with football. For those who think he’s a bad hire because he can’t coach, well… you’re an idiot. For those who think it’s a bad hire because of things he did in his past…don’t you have a past. I do. Some of it I’m not proud of. Some of it I would be mortified if it was on TV & Radio. I’m positive we all do. I’m not sure when we all of the sudden became these perfect people who make no mistakes big or small. This man I truly do believe loves the Lord. I truly believe he made horrible mistakes. So did King David and Solomon. If he asked for forgiveness, I truly believe God has forgiven him a long time ago. His wife forgave him. His family forgave him. Why can’t you? Don’t forget, Grace is a 2 way street. Some of you need to look at the mirror in the morning and stop lying to yourself. You’re not as good as you think you are. None of us are.

[woodford 3,678]

Let’s go. War Damn Eagle!

[fasttimes 356]

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

[AEAugirl 9,635]

Also want to point out how much Freeze’s players love him. They love playing for him.  He is a player’s coach.  He has never had an issue in that regard.  

The Harsin stuff was most heartbreaking to me not because of his failures on the field and the losses, but because what is now blatantly obvious that he did to those players in how he treated them.  For me, it is borderline abuse and I feel there was probably some verbal abuse happening.  He took them to a low I’ve never seen an Auburn team go to, and it wasn’t just because they were sad they were losing.  II think we all knew it was bad, but reading between the lines of the things Caddy, other coaches, and even some of the players have said has really shined a light on how toxic that man was.  Even when Chizik “lost” the team in 2012, I don’t think there was one player that came out and spoke against him, he failed in his ability to keep the team together but it wasn’t by dragging the players down mentally.  Chizik was a good man. 

I want a coach for them that will love them and ensure both academically and athletically that they succeed. 

I believe Freeze can do that. 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2022 by AEAugirl

[DyeCampAlum 335]

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.

[icanthearyou 4,464]

4 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.

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.

[aucom96 1,640]

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. 

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

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...

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

https://www.jasonkirk.fyi/p/hugh-freeze-auburn

Nailed many of my thoughts on Hugh Freeze. It's a shame that the success of our student-athletes are tied to Hugh Freeze because I only wish him a very short, unsuccessful coaching career. If expecting better from my alma mater makes me a bad fan, then so be it. But I can't do it.

[NoALtiger 3,873]

OP was long so I didn’t read it all but I agree completely lol.  

[zeroforwinger 445]

I’ll give him a chance. I thought it was a poor choice and I don’t like the way the coach search played out, with Lane clearly just using us to get a raise. However, Freeze is our guy now and he kept Cadillac on staff, so let’s roll with what we got. WDE!!

[fasttimes 356]

2 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

 

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.

Exactly

[DyeCampAlum 335]

3 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.

Splendid reply. Thank you.

[Potatooooooes!! 1,375]

Excellent post

[Tigers77 281]

It’s not about second chances for me. I’m going to support Auburn until the day I die. Win, lose or draw no matter the coach.

My take, and my concern with this hire, is WHY put the university through all the negative PR and split the fanbase for a guy who has really proven very little overall? 
 

No, there were absolutely no sure things when it comes to coaches out there, and maybe the ones who were the closest to a sure thing wouldn’t come to Auburn. But there had to be candidates worth considering who didn’t have all this baggage.  The guy beat Saban a couple times…big whoop. Gus did it 3 times. Hugh was 1-3 against Gus who we let go.  
 

It’s not that I don’t think he can/will win or that he isn’t a good coach but again WHY go get a guy apparently no one else was pursuing and put your university through all this? In a world of “Metoo” it seems tone deaf. 
 

Again, I will support him and the team as I do feel he has been unfairly painted in some ways, but it’s frustrating that we even have to have this discussion when we could’ve hired someone else and possibly get the same results. 

[woodford 3,678]

1 hour ago, JBiGGiE said:

https://www.jasonkirk.fyi/p/hugh-freeze-auburn

Nailed many of my thoughts on Hugh Freeze. It's a shame that the success of our student-athletes are tied to Hugh Freeze because I only wish him a very short, unsuccessful coaching career. If expecting better from my alma mater makes me a bad fan, then so be it. But I can't do it.

Jason Kirk is the epitome of soy. Who gives a sh*t what that neckbeard says lmao

[JBiGGiE 2,488]

1 minute ago, woodford said:

Jason Kirk is the epitome of soy. Who gives a sh*t what that neckbeard says lmao

His facts are facts and his opinions are well... His opinions. What's fact is that Hugh Freeze is not worth the headache it takes to spin the narrative around him.

[Mikey 16,777]

11 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

His facts are facts and his opinions are well... His opinions. What's fact is that Hugh Freeze is not worth the headache it takes to spin the narrative around him.

Troy is on a roll lately. Forget Auburn and go root for the Trojans. I'm an Auburn Tiger and hoping for the very best for both Auburn and Coach Freeze.

[fasttimes 356]

19 minutes ago, JBiGGiE said:

His facts are facts and his opinions are well... His opinions. What's fact is that Hugh Freeze is not worth the headache it takes to spin the narrative around him.

Well the jury is put as to whether PR not he is worth the headache. Time will tell.

[AUinMS9528 1,086]

So, how quickly do you think CHF can successfully pull off a kick 6?