Sign up or login to track your favorite teams

Sign Up for Bleacher Report

As a registered user you can subscribe to your favorite teams, post comments, write your own articles, and much more.

You must register in order for that functionality to work!







Validating sign up form ...

Bleacher Report articles are written by fans like you

Do you want to cover your favorite sports, teams, and leagues?

Processing writing preferences ...

Great, , you're signed up!

i.e. Big 10, LeBron James, USC Football

Selected Tags:

Logging in ...

Get the popcorn, get comfortable, and let me tell you a tale. I can neither verify nor deny the authenticity of this story. However, I can verify that there are many truths in it than can be proved...

Intrigue, Conspiracy and a Great Story May Have Gotten Gene Chizik a Job

by Larry Burton (Senior Writer)

48

35895 reads

Opinion

December 16, 2008


Get the popcorn, get comfortable, and let me tell you a tale. I can neither verify nor deny the authenticity of this story. However, I can verify that there are many truths in it than can be proved. That being said enjoy.

I got these facts from a buddy of mine who is not in the habit of telling tall tales. I'll just call him "Benny". Here's the tale:

Some Auburn relatives were over this past weekend, some of whom are fairly well connected to the program at Auburn and their boosters. 

The night Alabama drilled Auburn 36-0, a prominent Auburn booster (not the usual bank-owning one but one who sells pressure-treated wood and wears a yellow hat) made a phone call. This may have been a $5.1 million phone call.

Since he knows most of the SEC coaches on a first-name basis and shoots ads with many of them, he has their personal private phone numbers. So he calls Houston Nutt over in Mississippi and asks what it might take to have Houston change his address again to Auburn.

Apparently, Auburn has a nasty habit of stealing coaches from Ole Miss, but Nutt tells old Yella Fella that he can't take the hit on the credibility scale right now for that kind of move, but thanks.

What many people may not know or may have forgotten is the infamous "Jet Gate" scandal. That was where Bobby Lowder loaded a jet with his posse that flew to Louisville to offer then Head Coach Bobby Petrino the head coaching job at Auburn.

Trouble was, Auburn had a head coach who was doing a fairly good job and when word leaked out, the fans and much of administration rallied so strongly that Tuberville was bulletproof. He was now able to snub his nose to Lowder, Pat Dye, and the administration—and boosters that wanted him gone.

These were not men who took a snubbing well. They bade their time until they felt the fans would no longer be a factor. Surely Auburn missing a bowl game, being drilled by Alabama, and the whole Tony Franklin fiasco took all the aces out of Tuberville's hand.

Now here's where it gets interesting. Following "Jet Gate", Tommy had a unique non-interference clause put in his last contract. Auburn pledged that neither the school president nor athletics director or anyone acting under their authority "shall discuss or negotiate directly or indirectly Auburn's prospective employment of any other person as Head Football Coach of Auburn" without giving Tuberville prior notice.

In non-lawyerese, it basically means that if Auburn got caught monkeying around with a new coach behind Tommy's back again he gets paid—a lot.

Unfortunately for Auburn, Nutt's agent is Jimmy Sexton and that just happens to be
Tuberville's agent too. Nutt drops this little nugget to Sexton and Tommy walks in the following Monday discussing his intentions to resign and wants his money now that he knows his contract has been breached.

Now Tuberville can get the money AND leave and coach elsewhere, in effect getting double pay for the next three years! A nice retirement package indeed. Plus, he gets to have the last laugh and snub the backstabbers one more time.

So maybe Auburn was right, maybe Tuberville really did resign. Why wouldn't he?  Multi-day discussions ensued, and I'm sure there were lawyers involved. I'm sure it was painfully explained that old Yella Fella could and would be legally held to be an "official booster" much to the dismay of Auburn and the bad boy boosters.

In the end, we see Tuberville's official resignation on December 3 and Auburn paying him the buyout anyway because according to Auburn, it "is the right thing to do." Yes, it's the right thing under the contract. Otherwise, who pays buyouts for resignations, right?

Now, guess who Gene Chizik's agent is? Ding Ding Ding! You are right if you guessed Jimmy Sexton. Now, how does Auburn keep "Jet Gate II" from hitting the front of ESPN in an embarrassing manner? The fans would simply go mad.

Hmmm, perhaps by hiring a Sexton client who needs to get out of his personal football coaching hell known as Iowa State? How else is he going to go anywhere with that 5-19 record?

So, Tuberville walks away with $5.1 million and change and  the right to sign another big contract with another team, Nutt gets a nice salary bump and an extension when Ole Miss gets wind of their coach being dangled some bait, and Chizik gets a big salary increase and a chance from jump a sinking ship into a head coaching job at a big time SEC school.

And Sexton makes almost a million dollars in new commissions off the three new deals. This seems to explain the inexplicable way in which this all went down.

Will we ever know?  Not until Jimmy Sexton writes his tell all book, "Tales of the Super Sports Agent."  But it's the best version I've heard so far.

Part two of this story at http://tinyurl.com/4eov7f

Track this Article on My B/R
Flag This Article
Share This Article

48 comments Last one added 1 day ago — Leave a Comment

  1. GatorJon 6 months ago

    Well done, Larry. That version of the story does seem to fit the known facts just a little too well to be easily dismissed.

    Tubs obviously had someone by the short hairs in some fashion to warrant the $5.1 million in "hush money".

    Between 11/29 when Tubs said he planned to be at Auburn next year and was the guy to get things turned around and 12/3 when he "resigned" something went down.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      Aub has a history of paying hush money...

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

      • John Anderson 1 day ago

        You have a history of lying, larry the liar bammer.

        1. Sexton is not Chizik's agent. Was, yes. but not is.
        2. Chizik has not signed an official contract yet. So your claim of 'AU President and AD worked with Sexton to make the contract' is another LIE.
        3. You know that you cooked up this story. Most of the media that ran with your story are now embarrassed that they did.

        Larry is not better than anything. He's a certified LIAR.

        Edit Comment Cancel

        Reply
        Great Comment (
        0
        )

  2. Kevin Strickland 6 months ago

    You're really recycling one version of an email that's been passed around since Sunday morning and has shown up in various forms on dozens of message boards and trying to claim it as something you were told by someone privy to the details? Wow.

    For the record, I got basically the same email from a friend of mine in the Ole Miss program Sunday about 10:30 a.m. His name isn't "benny".

    You Bama guys sure do spend a lot of time worrying about Auburn. Hahaha.

    Come on, Larry. You're better than this.

    BTW, it's intrigue. Not intrique.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      If there's that much smoke then you look for fire... As GatorJon said, it just fits too nicely not to have some sort of truth to it...

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Kevin Strickland 6 months ago

      Maybe.

      Sexton is a snake. Never forget that. If you told me he orchestrated 9-11 to get Bush a second term I'd have to at least consider it.

      The only part where logic fails is where AU has to give Chiz the job. If Tub gets his buyout and Houston gets a raise Sexton gets that percentage, so Jithere's no real impetus to hold AU further over the fire. And if he were to do that, he represents a lot of other guys who would have made him a much, much bigger payday over Chiz.

      The other thing that leads me to believe there are some holes in the story was how quickly it started making the rounds. The version I got supposedly came from somebody who claims to know Danny Nutt real well and they were supposedly told by him and he was allegedly told by Houston. Lots of hearsay.

      I'll say this, if anybody from AU called Houston Nutt, I hope they get punched in the nuts by a Sasquatch. That would have been at least as dumb as hiring Chiz.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      No kidding, his name's not "Benny"? I think most readers know that when you say, "I'll call him or her "whatever", that it's a made up name... My source who gave me the facts didn't give me permission ot name them, so I didn't. Lately we don't worry about Auburn at all,,, we're too busy laughing.... And Kev, you're wrong about something else, I'm not much better than this,,, I'm just a happy hacker! PS, thanks for the spelling thing... I fixed it... See, I'm really not better!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Kevin Strickland 6 months ago

      Larry.. come on.

      I know a made up name when I see one. It was a subtle jab.

      Be honest. You posted the content of an email or a message board post you saw somewhere and claimed it was told to you. Otherwise, how could I have gotten the EXACT same email VERBATIM from a friend of mine in Oxford on Sunday? Not bashing, just saying...

      Nothing wrong with being a hacker. Hack away. I write because I enjoy it. I've been lucky enough to get paid for it occasionally but I'd do it anyway even if I didn't.

      I know what you're saying about the laughing. Been doing it at Alabama for most of the last 25 years, so I guess you guys are allowed a year or so every now and then. HA!

      Merry Christmas.

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      Kevin, I saw that post and a lot of others. I called an Aubbie buddy to see if there was anything to it. He confirmed almost all of it. With that I simply pieced all the pieces together and came up with this story. I never claimed it all came from me. SHEEEEEESH!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  3. Franklin Crittenden 6 months ago

    Larry, I really, really like this article. I can just see this happening exactly this way.

    I am not so sure about Sexton blackmailing Auburn into hiring Chizik even though that makes more sense than choosing Chizik over Turner Gill.

    Knowing what everyone has always known about the Auburn situation it makes more sense than Jay Jacobs picking Chizik because he impressed him with his enthusiasm and knowledge of Auburn.

    Jay Jacobs is a habitual liar and when he talks you can just barely see Bobby Lowders lips moving!

    Keep up the great work buddy!

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • 6 months ago

      Thanks Frankin,

      I really really your stuff to and love your alliteration and story telling prowess... This really really hit a nerve too... 17,000 hits here and at least that many on many other sites... This could be my first 100,000 hit story. Let 'em squirm...

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

    • Franklin Crittenden 6 months ago

      WOW!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  4. Moe Sonnier 6 months ago

    I've always

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  5. alex smith 6 months ago

    Even though this is all probably fact, how could anbody believe a word you say. You stole this from the Auburn Rivals Message Boards and you are a Bammer.. stop obsessing over us, Bama's back remember?

    your a joke stop writing articles,

    Cadillac24

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      This story is EVERYWHERE! It's too good a story not to get out, and I credited my source who confirmed much of the rumors in the story. It's not my "scoop", but I wanted to make sure it made it here! Oh, and I'm not obsessing over Auburn, just laughing my butt off at them... They just continue to make it too easy....

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  6. Mike A. Tiger 6 months ago

    I know the source of this story, he first posted it on a subscription message board and nearly half of the report above is nearly word for word, just cleaned up and embellished for style. At least it wasn't completely lifted LOL.

    Not only do I trust my source and how he came to this information, it also makes the most sense of any explanation I've seen.

    "If it's on the internet, it must be true." That aside, I think this is what really happened.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  7. Homer Hamby 6 months ago

    The three coaches having jimmmy as a n agent is news to me and i find the story interesting. The reason for the Gene hire could be more than what this story implies. Many boards are talking about Gene being a puppet for Dye's return to 'pay for play days'.....everyone is watching to see who he hires a saassistants for some insight to this (rumor, thought,truth,bullchit)

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      That's true Homer, and that's in part 2... I still haven't figured out the Dye angle, but what I do know I put in part 2

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  8. rick p 6 months ago

    Bobby Lowder wasn't on the plane, although it did belong to Colonial Bank. The cast of characters was David Housel, Bill Walker, Byron Franklin, and Earlen McWhorter.

    And the way I heard it (I live in Auburn and have connections within the AD office) is that Tubs wanted to stay but Jacobs told him Tuesday morning (after Tubs had met with Gogue Monday and left thinking all was fine) he was gone no matter what. The rest of Tuesday was spent negotiating the terms of the "resignation".

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  9. Buddy Jones 6 months ago

    Larry, Hate to ruin your nice piece of fiction, but Sexton does not represent Gene Chizik.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  10. Alabama Voodoo 6 months ago

    Entertaining to say the least.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  11. Brian Scott 6 months ago

    Sexton is the Karl Rove of sports. Nothing would surprise me.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  12. Joe Burgett 6 months ago

    Oh how the mighty have fallen Larry. Auburn has always been able to compete with the likes of Florida and Bama. I mean over the last few years they have beaten those two teams. As we all know Bama 6 straight. But then they lose for the first time and since they don't know what this losing thing is they have to follow the trend of other universities who "LOSE" and fire their coach.

    But see they couldn't do that that, the fans would hate to see Tuberville go, so they made him RESIGN so it looked good in the public. But then as they are wanting to bring in a coach the realize that "Oh no we don't know how to recruit coaches" We didn't even recruit players, Tuberville handled that. "What are we gonna Do" they ask themselves.

    "I know lets get a guy who worked here before, maybe a defensive guy who knows what Tuberville woud do" one booster says. Great idea say the Auburn AD. So they bring in Chizik and ask "what would Tuberville do" And Chizik says "He would hire me"

    And that is how Gene Chizik got the Auburn job. They couldn't go on without him of course. So they had to hire someone quick without interviewing anyone else really well. I mean a week is long enough right?

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  13. J Ray 6 months ago

    I love when people don't know the "facts" and print whatever they want. Larry, It's a known fact that Lowder was not on the infamous "Jetgate" trip. The people involved in that were David Housel, Byron Franklin, and William Muse. They WERE on Lowder's jet, but he wasn't there. So forgive me if I don't just jump on board to believe everything else that you've stated.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  14. Donald Fincher 6 months ago

    So, Larry, I like your "tale" and find it very easy to believe what you claim about Tubs. If he ends up with a gig prior to what would have been his 3 year waiting period, then I'll really believe it. The part I'm finding hard to swallow is why Chizik? No matter what happened with Tubs, Auburn could have still hired whoever they wanted. The Chizik hire is what didn't make any sense to me (or anyone else I've talked to about it). Sexton's "pull" shouldn't be so much that Auburn is willing to drive over a cliff for him. Something smells fishy.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      Ok, Jacobs, Lowder and maybe even Raner (old yeller feller) were in panic mode that the story would get out how they orchestrated a fruck up even bigger than the first jet gate. They knew the media and fans would tear them apart and their careers would be over at Auburn and they would leave in shame. To keep it all quiet, they paid off Tubby, (which they had to) and then maybe Sexton demanded Chizik, which was fine with Dye and Lowder because he would agree to be their lap dog. He was going to have to hire chizik or some other Sexton client....

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  15. Trey Jones 6 months ago

    Hey, all you need is some poisoned toe boots, some back alley surveillance, and a few car chases to make this story complete!

    I wouldn't put any of that stuff above Auburn... This sounds more like Italian Serie A football (soccer) than anything else!

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  1. John Townsend 6 months ago

    My sources say this info is spot on. Once again the Barners look like a bunch of toilet paper throwing goobers that now fear Saban so much they'll cut off their own noses to spite their faces.
    I just hope Lowder winds up having to pay Tubby's buyout from his own pocket. That would be justice.

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

  2. Kyle David 6 months ago

    It would explain why someone "resigns" and still gets 85% of the "buy-out"

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 6 months ago

      EXACTO!!!

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

      • John Anderson 2 days ago

        FALSIDO.

        Keep lying.

        Edit Comment Cancel

        Reply
        Great Comment (
        0
        )

      • Larry Burton 2 days ago

        @John: Can you not google? If so, are you just too stupid to understand what EVERY newspaper, ESPN and Auburn said? You moron, you're the worst of the Auburn airheads, Sexton was his agent and when he was hired by Auburn unless you know more than Auburn's President and A.D. who worked with Sexton on the contract. You don't even get the home version of Bleacher Report because your pathetic attempts were so stupidly lame... Try going thru the 3rd grade again before playing with the big boys... Have a nice day....

        Edit Comment Cancel

        Reply
        Great Comment (
        0
        )

  3. J Knight 5 months ago

    Sorry I didn't read this before Larry. But I would have to admit that it was the best damned thing to happen to AU since we hired the guy ten years ago.

    It is so obvious now how tired this guy was. Besides, his domineering attitude was getting old - sorta like do what I say - not what I do kind of thing. He probably should have gotten the boot two years ago. And if AU had hired Chizik then - you would have simply said he had no experience and taken your attack approach at a slightly different angle.

    Things are going quite well at AU now. Recruiting was a BLAST and his guys got in there late. Willis's loss didn't even phase us. We are currently ranked #10 on Scouts. And it still isn't over yet. Now all we have to do to consumate the deal is see how Chizik and his staff gel on the field and during a game. That too will be tested.

    You can bet I will be at A-Day.

    WDE

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    2
    )

    • Larry Burton 3 months ago

      Well you sure didn't finish number 10 in recruiting did you???? Things sorta fell apart there didn't they??? But I will say that Chizik has kept his mouth shut and his nose on the grindstone and may do OK...

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

  4. John Anderson 2 days ago

    Larry, you should be ASHAMED of LYING and spreading unsubstantiated rumors. It was such a disgraceful and pathetic attempt by you, that you just disgraced the rest of the BAMMERS by your disgusting lying. Rumor mongering is PATHETIC tactic of such disgusting POS people like you.

    Here's the FACT: Gene Chizik dropped Jimmy Sexton as his agent before coming to Auburn.

    How is that a SLAP ON YOUR LYING FACE?

    Edit Comment Cancel

    Reply
    Great Comment (
    0
    )

    • Larry Burton 2 days ago

      Uh John,,, You're wrong... Thanks for playing and showing us the mentality of the side of the fanbase good tigers are ashamed of...

      Edit Comment Cancel

      Reply
      Great Comment (
      0
      )

Leave a Comment

  • You must register to post a comment.

    • Want to write for Bleacher Report

    We are a community of fans who write about sports. And we're growing.

    Learn More and Sign Up »

    Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Getty Images.
    Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Getty Images is strictly prohibited.