Good afternoon. Thanks to all of you for being here on short notice.
As you know, we announced a decision earlier today that we are moving in a new direction with our football program.

Earlier this morning, I made a recommendation to Dr. Gogue that Coach Chizik not be retained as head coach. He accepted my recommendation, and Coach Chizik was informed of our decision shortly thereafter.

As expected, Coach Chizik handled the news with dignity and class. He knows this is a tough business that often requires tough decisions. Coach Chizik expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to lead our football program for the past four years.

I want to thank Coach Chizik for being an outstanding ambassador for Auburn University. He has exemplified the ideals of the Auburn Creed and has represented the Auburn Family with class throughout his tenure.

While I am disappointed that Coach Chizik’s career here has come to an end we will long cherish the memories of our first National Championship in 53 years. Gene and his staff will always be a part of the Auburn Family, and we wish them and their families the best.

I wanted to quickly share what led me to the decision to recommend a change. My primary consideration was doing what is in the best interest of our current student-athletes and the future of our football program.

After some tough losses in a transition year in 2011, I had hoped our team would show improvement this season. Unfortunately, it did not.

As we all know, the competition in our league is fierce. In the final analysis, I decided that we cannot risk falling further behind by waiting another year and hoping for improvement. That is why we decided it was time for a change.

We will move as quickly as possible in the search for our next head coach and will do so consistent with the expectations set by Dr. Gogue. 

We will be guided by the benchmarks we expect in the leader of our program. Those benchmarks are a track record as a proven winner, a commitment to playing within the rules, and student-athlete academic success.

      I am pleased to announce that we have put together an outstanding search committee to find our next head coach.  The committee consists of several great Auburn leaders who share our commitment to competing at the highest level and who understand what it takes to succeed at Auburn.

I am honored that Mac Crawford, Bo Jackson and Pat Sullivan have agreed to join our efforts to find the best coach possible for our student-athletes, the students of Auburn University and the Auburn Family.

This is a real, working committee and I’m proud to be part of this distinguished group.