Even by the secretive, cover-your-ass, obstruct-and-obfuscate standards of college athletics crisis management, Auburn stands out as the most craven of schools. Its motto might as well be Lie and Deny. It sure isn’t Truth and Transparency.
But in time, lie and deny can be a losing strategy. Eventually, there is nowhere left to run and hide.
Auburn, a school that would line up boosters for sworn affidavits stating that the sky is green if it would help the Tigers win a game or sign a recruit, started running out of real estate Sunday. That’s when the school suddenly announced a self-imposed postseason ban for the 2020-21 season.