Seriously, this makes no sense. If they fired him, he would've gotten $32 million. Why would he accept less?

I think that he is such an egomaniac that he honestly feels that with another year and him personally calling the plays, he can completely turn the program around and everyone will love him again.

Then again, it takes big money at the house to run the Gus bus. He might be figuring that since AU had the Brinks truck back up to his front door last year, he already knows he's got a sucker on the line. He might be rolling the dice and hoping to win 9 or 10 games then beat Bama and/or GA next year and get a 10-15 year, $70 to $105 million dollar contract extension tacked onto his current one. He already knows it's not out to the question with who the group running the show and calling the shots at AU. He figures, give a little right now to stay in the game and potentially get a lot more later. When his buyout eclipses $100 million, then he can retire in style. Go Gus!

Meanwhile....at the Auburn atheletic department.

Never saw a conclusive, definitive report or info about what he did or didn't do. Lot of rumors and reports but no one, to my knowledge, saying "This is how is it is now."

Not that what was reported probably isn't true. Someone with knowledge leaked all that, either the agent or a Trustee member. But no one I've seen has given any firm statement. President Leath is an idiot, the Board clearly has some divisions or issues, and the AD is a figurehead.

The AU braintrust is hoping all this blows over and goes away. School is done on the 14th for the break and then it'll be basketball season. Auburn officials are great at screwing up, looking stupid and then waiting for it to blow over. They did the same with the softball scandal.

By January or February, any news media asking about it will be met with silence again or "That's in the past, we're moving forward. Why do you have to be negative?"

I was thinking that with Jay Jacobs gone their would be some AUsome changes for the better.
Looks like a bigger bunch of ittyits running the place now.

The Obama administration strategy. Nice

He has got to stay till next season and give Myers time to "recover" and be the next Auburn coach.

Urban wants no part of facing Saban every year. Or any of the other SEC schools for that matter.

No kidding. He can't even beat Iowa or Purdue.

Oh yea, but with a team like Auburn he would be unbeata.......oh never mind I can not say that with a straight face.

To go back to your OP, I think like any head coach he believes he can make it right. Whether that's with him calling the plays, a new OC, or whatever, he's confidence is higher than anyone else's. Until they whack him he's going to maintain that, especially publicly.

Can he? Dunno. Three O-Coordinators in seven seasons is stupid unless you're Saban and they're winning titles and going off to be HCs somewhere else.

As for accepting less money, if he really did, that happens sometimes in the big biz world. CEO of Company AU has a bad year or two. Board whacks his pay, withholds a bonus, says he's docked 10 percent or whatever. He agrees instead of acting like a jackass and getting fired. Happens again, he knows he's gone. He rights the ship for 2-3 years and then maybe leaves or stays for another contract extension.

But yes, it's weird to see that happening in college athletics if he indeed did take a pay cut to stick around.

Any of y'all ever been fired. I haven't but know several close friends who have. It is hard on peoples confidence, esteem, pride, etc. I bet my friends would have taken a pay cut instead of being fired. And yes, they were given severance,though it was not near 32 million.

It would be hard to hurt my feelings if you gave me 32 million to leave.

These stories make me wish newspapers weren't dead. Not that I know anything but we may never know "why?" If the info is correct both sides are maroons. Jimmy Sexton knows the truth but I don't think he'd say anything.

I struggle putting much confidence in what is reported by many outlets from the so called "media"....if Gus and Jimmy agreed to restructure the contract I have to believe it benefitted them as much as AU.....Sexton is no fool.....

It's also possible they found a way around the buyout but it may not be simple and may involve lawsuits. A new deal may simplify it and could benefit both sides without lawyers making millions off the court battle. At least that's one of the rumors.

To free up cap space?

Yet Urban beat saban the only time they played each other while he was at Ohio State, but I’m sure you’re right. 🙄

Gus wanted more money for hookers and JUCO qb's so that his buddy Hugh would take the job. Makes sense to me....

Gus probably ain’t as bad as we all make him out to be.
It ain’t easy when your 2 biggest rivals are juggernauts hitting on all cylinders.
Who you gonna hire if you fire Gus? How much time you going to give him to beat Bama and Georgia?

Truth

Yall constantly talk about what an idiot gus is then scratch your heads when he does something stupid. Hes an idiot, thats why he did it. Im really beginning to wonder about yall.

He's a fuuckig moron

They had some dirt on Gus. Best for both sides to agree upon a new deal. He's gone after next year.

I think there it truth to both of these comments.

The problem with Auburn is Auburn. Not a particular head coach. Alabama had the same problem before Saban arrived. Auburn ain't going to get better until there is some kind of wholesale change.

As far as the second comment, I think this is highly likely and I have made almost the same comment when this rumor first came to light. The only reason that someone would give up a bunch of money and take a crappier deal is that the Auburn trustees, must have something to hang over his head. Nothing else is logical. And they're using this to get out of the full contract and keep Gus around until (in their mind) can find someone better. The problem is they aren't going to find someone better, because they can't keep their fingers out of the pie while the baker is trying to bake it.

Good assessment....IMO AU doesn't need to follow a bad decision (Gus' contract) with another bad decision (Firing him without a better replacement)....it makes no sense to incur the significant buy-out cost without a homerun hire.....you are spot on about Bama being in the same position as AU prior to Saban's arrival......Bama finally got tired of being a middle of the pack team and eliminated the meddling.....Mal Moore had enough influence with the power brokers to make it happen

there are 2 sides to a buyout.

I believe it was written in there that if another team hired him in the 7 year period they owed Auburn like $6,000,000.

he wants to be a football coach, he knows Arkansas State or whoever will hire him cant come up with that.

There was a bunch of rumors around about Gus leaving/being fired/traded, but I never saw an official announcement that any of them were true. I think they want to get rid of him, but nobody is going to cut a 32 million check at auburn. Looks like they are going to be stuck with him at least one more year, meanwhile recruiting goes to hell. Maybe Kirby will hire him to draw up fake punts.

Hope Gus stays there forever 😁. Roll Tide!

I believe the “dirt on Gus” involves pictures of him and animals- male animals.

Dang Bud, your dislike for Gus must be similar to 257's.

I don’t have a dislike for Gus- I just can’t believe the Trustees and former AD Jacobs gave him that obscene contract with a $32,000,000 buyout. The Trustees should all be fired for malpractice. Gus’ agent is a genius

What Bud Meadows said. Don't hate Gus, he is smarter than Auburn.

,

FIFY

If they promoted Kevin Steele to HC, wouldn't that be a step up?

Steele will be interim after the 4th or 5th game next year. We'll know then if he is better.

Auburn has always been notorious for that. They will hand out a contract extension for a win over a rival in a hot minute and then it comes back to bite them in the ass. It happened with Tater Tot, Ears, Chiz Whiz, and now the Gus Bus. I don't know why they keep doing it but they do. Those guys get excited over November wins like no other and ignore the body of work which is an 8-4 average. They completely overlooked that the previous 3 season before he was 23-16 and 11-13 in the conference.

I don't say this to slam Auburn but some of their decision makers are suspect to say the least. I'm just still shocked that the Gus Bus survived the three season stretch after his initial year.

9-36 as HC

There has yet to be any confirmation that his contract has been re-nogotiated

He publicly denied there was renegotiation. Fake news.

If he denied it then it didn't happen, right?

Auburn is a public university and as such all contracts etc are subject to FOI acts and document requests. I would find it very very hard to believe that if the contract were renegotiated, that the terms would not already be published, especially with as much publicity as this matter has received. As much as I laugh to say it, I'm afraid that the AU faithful are stuck with Gus until they are willing to stroke that very very big check. If the terms of his contract were changed, it would already be public knowledge.

Those FOIA requests already may be in the works, could be "lost in the shuffle" at the moment, Jean from the office is out on vacation until January 7, we're closed until early January or possibly not filed yet.

AU truly is in "Just be quiet, don't say anything, it'll go away soon enough, those reporters are dumb or homers or both" mode.

FOIA requests can be complied with slowly sometimes.

Who cares?