Bryan Harsin, the head football coach at the University of auburn, passionately doubled down on his commitment to being the head football coach and to his players Thursday despite his future seemingly hanging in the balance.
Harsin said in an interview that the strongest statement to come out of all this was what he said at the time, that it was bulls---.
The attacks on my character and my family were bulls---. Let's be clear on that. We are not folding our tent. We will fight, and we will keep doing it. That is not going to change. We are fighting for the kids on this team. They are worth fighting for.
The university had been scrutinizing the exodus of players and assistant coaches that accompanied Harsin's first season at auburn, which ended with a 6-7 record.
In the regular-season finale, Alabama defeated auburn in four overtimes. The Tide scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to force the first overtime and win the game.
Harsin smiled and said, "Yeah, good question." I don't know.
Even as the inquiry was going on, he said he and his agent never talked about a financial settlement. If Harsin were to be fired without cause, he would only be owed a 15 million dollar buyout, which would have been the highest in the history of the team.
Harsin said that he said it then and now. I was going to fight for these players. I want people to know that the players at auburn deserve your support. The guys bust their ass.
The way his family, players and former colleagues reached out to offer their support was the most heartening part of those eight days. The senior offensive lineman set up a meeting with the board of trustees. Harsin said he heard from Mack Brown and others.
Harsin said that he never thought he wouldn't be coming back.
Some outgoing players took to social media to criticize Harsin. Lee Hunter, a former defensive lineman who transferred to UCF, posted on his social media accounts that he left because he and his teammates were treated badly.
Harsin said that when you are on a team, there will be a lot of opinions about things. That is the challenge as a coach. I felt like we had more positives than negatives.
Harsin, who is still angry over the toll the situation has taken on his family, said that the vibe among the coaches and players is the best it has been since he took the job.
Harsin said that people are underestimating this football team and that he has told his players. These are our players. We know they have talent. The guys busted their ass this spring. It felt like the teams I have coached before.
Harsin brought in three new assistant coaches, including a former player, and promoted two of them. The uncertainty from February became a motivator for the players and the coaches, according to Harsin.
Harsin said that they are stronger now than they were 16 months ago. Over the past two or three months, our team, the leadership, the chemistry, the cohesiveness, have really shown up.
Harsin said that he was never given a clear idea of what triggered the inquiry, which ended with Gogue saying that there was no information that should change the status of the football program.
Chris Roberts is set to take over as the president of the University of Alabama on May 16 and Gogue announced his retirement last June.
Harsin said he had productive conversations with Gogue and others after the inquiry. Harsin was asked if the proper alignment was in place to win at a championship level, and he said he knew the place wanted to win. Every single person I see when I go into the community or do an event, they love what we do and appreciate what we do.
I don't get to hear the negative face to face. I hear positive things. I hear the support. I hear that we are going to get where we want to be.
Harsin said he feels better about the direction of the recruiting after getting the inquiry behind him and that the new NIL rules should help them. The Tigers are not ranked in the top 25 of the latest class rankings, but their signing class was ranked 18th by ESPN.
Harsin said that when guys step on our campus, they see who we are and what we are about. I think a lot of those families and players know where we are going.
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