Auburn football HC Bryan Harsin sounds pretty sick and tired of talking about the Auburn Board of Trustee’s offseason inquiry into his character.
Ultimately, the inquiry went nowhere, with the Tigers’ leading sideline voice escaping the scrutiny and slander from the AU BoT with his chin held high and his character intact. Still, we’re talking about a man with a family who now has to deal with the horrible rumors that were spread with the goal of firing him, with cause, in mind.
Harsin survived the ordeal, but it has predictably left a sour taste in his mouth in the aftermath of it.
Here’s what he said to ESPN reporter Chris Low when asked about it this past Thursday:
"“The simplest, strongest statement to come out of all this was what I said at the time, that it was bulls—, and I still feel like that. Everything we were going through — these players, this program, the attacks on my character and my family — was bulls—. Let’s be clear on that.”"
He doubled down on his comments and said that he is still the Tigers head coach because the Auburn football locker-room is filled with kids worth fighting for:
"“We’re not folding our tent whatsoever. We’ll fight, and we’ll keep doing it. That’s not going to change. We’re fighting for the kids on this team. They’re worth fighting for. “I said it then and say it now: I wasn’t going to turn and run just because we faced some adversity. I was going to fight like hell for these players because they deserve it. I want people to know that, whoever you are, that these players at Auburn deserve your support. These guys bust their ass.”"
While his first season on the Plains was far from picturesque, Harsin now has a tighter group than he did last year, and the hope is that parlays into more wins in 2022 and (hopefully) beyond.