Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins' suspension from the team ahead of the Georgia game is garnering mixed reactions from around the college football world.
Several former players weighed in with very different perspectives on the accusations that Atkins got special treatment from the coaching staff for being late to and missing meetings.
Former Tigers receiver Anthony Schwartz didn't name names, but made a clear statement about the coaching staff's handling of the star defender.
"Accountability is very important when building a culture, but to truly build that culture, you need an absence of favoritism. Everyone needs to be held to the same standard, regardless of where they came from and who’s guy they are," Schwartz wrote on X.
Former Auburn linebacker Chandler Wooten denied any sentiment that Atkins is a locker-room "cancer."
"(Atkins) is no locker room cancer .. we can stop that narrative," Wooten wrote on X. "Everything eventually comes to light like I said the other day. Until we ACTUALLY get our house in order we won’t win a thing."
Auburn football picked a bad week to unravel
There's no team better equipped to absolutely dominate the Tigers than No. 1 Georgia. This was absolutely not the week for something like this to happen, if, of course, it leads to any on-field issues on Saturday in Athens.
The Dawgs' defense can continue shutting down Auburn's underwhelming running attack, which is a result of poor interior offensive line play. Byrum Brown will face a consistent pass rush and will have guys in the second and third levels tracking him down if he attempts to move the ball himself. His receivers could have a tough time getting open against an elite UGA secondary.
Offensively, Gunner Stockton is a dual-threat handful who can pick apart the Tigers' weakest links in coverage. We all know Auburn's weakness in the defensive interior against elite running backs. The Dawgs may have multiple backs who can dish out punishment.
Kirby Smart has one of the most disciplined teams in the country on both sides of the ball. He knows the optics of struggling as No. 1 at home against a team in freefall like the Tigers. Smart is probably not going to have his guys looking past Week 7. He'd more likely have them sniffing blood in the water and pouncing.
You just wish Auburn could've saved this Atkins suspension for the bye week, since issues have been persistent all season for the linebacker.
Perhaps it's better that there was minimal time to digest this before the program's next game.
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