Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs to resign
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said Friday he would be stepping aside from his post.
Jacobs said in an open letter on Auburn’s site that he would step down as Auburn’s AD on June 1, 2018 or earlier if the school finds his successor.
“The last several months have been a particularly difficult time,” Jacobs wrote. “Across several sports, a series of controversies have arisen. They have begun to take their toll and have raised questions about why Auburn must endure such problems. As I have always done, I have worked my hardest and best to do what is right for Auburn.”
“I believe in Auburn and will fight for Auburn. But as I consider the future and what is best for Auburn, I have prayerfully decided the time has come for me to step aside. Sometimes a new direction and new leadership are helpful in moving beyond current problems.”
A report by AL.com at the end of September said the school was preparing to part ways with Jacobs. The report said “the transition” was set to take place at the end of the football season but had been sped up after issues within the athletic department.
Chuck Person, an assistant men’s basketball coach for the school was indicted in September in the sweeping bribery probe into college basketball. In August, a former Auburn softball player alleged abuse by the coaching staff.
In October, a former track and field coach alleged he was discriminated against in a suit and said he was assaulted by a fellow assistant coach.
Jacobs, who played football at Auburn, became Auburn’s athletic director in 2005 and was in charge of the athletic department when Auburn won the BCS Championship following the 2010 season. He led the coaching search to hire Gus Malzahn after the team fired title-winning coach Gene Chizik.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
