Just when people were starting to recover from the two-year nightmare that was Bryan Harsin’s tenure as the head coach of the Auburn football program, he put himself back in the narrative.
According to ESPN’s Chris Low, the Harsin family fell victim to the evils of Auburn football, enduring two years in a position where he was essentially set up to fail. But the family stuck together, survived, and Harsin told ESPN that he’s “thriving.”
Well, it would be hard not to thrive after collecting a $15 million buyout and moving back into the family home you never sold in Idaho even if you did spend the past two years tanking a powerhouse football program.
Auburn Live’s Justin Hokanson saw the ESPN interview for what it was: a joke, and another excuse for Harsin to claim that his family was horribly wronged without taking any accountability for his actions, or lack thereof, on the Plains:
"“I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt for a couple of years,” Hokanson said. “I think he talks a big game in terms of lofty rhetoric and leadership and that kind of stuff. On the hoof it sounds great, but nothing results-wise added up to back him up."
Harsin struggled to get any traction on the recruiting trail, didn’t want to get involved with fans or ingratiate himself in the community, and failed to put a cohesive team on the field. He led the Tigers to their first losing season since 2012 and went 9-12 during his time at Auburn.
"“…The gall to come out and get $15 million after you got fired and were arguably the worst coach in the history of Auburn football and to come out and do a story like, ‘we’re thriving.’ I bet you are. You duped Auburn into giving you money and they paid you $15 million to go away. I’m sure you’re doing fine and Auburn’s better off, too.”"
Here’s hoping that this is the last time Bryan Harsin will associate himself with Auburn football to the media.