Auburn will seek new AD
AUBURN, Ala. — Longtime Auburn University athletic director Jay Jacobs said he will step down by June 2018 as the leader of a department hit by scandals in both the basketball and softball programs. Jacobs announced Friday in a letter to Auburn fans that he informed school president Steven Leath of his decision earlier this week. He said he will leave earlier if Auburn hires a replacement. The former walk-on football player took over the athletic department at his alma mater in 2004. In recent months, Auburn associate head basketball coach Chuck Person was arrested on federal fraud and bribery charges, and a former softball player filed a Title IX sexual discrimination complaint. “When something goes wrong, it is my responsibility,” Jacobs wrote. “I have always known that. I have always accepted that. The last several months have been a particularly difficult time. Across several sports, a series of controversies have arisen. They have begun to take their toll and have raised questions about why Auburn must endure such problems. As I have always done, I have worked my hardest and best to do what is right for Auburn.” The department’s annual revenue has grown from $46 million to $145 million during Jacobs’ tenure, and the school built Auburn Arena to house the basketball program, plus a $16 million 100-yard indoor practice facility and a $6 million wellness kitchen. The Tigers have been up and down in football during his tenure, a span that includes three head coaches, but they won the national title in 2010 and played for another championship three years later.
FOOTBALL
› NEW YORK — Ezekiel Elliott felt a “burst of adrenaline” surge through the Dallas Cowboys locker room after a court freed him to play Sunday rather than begin a six-game suspension. He also blasted the claims against him, saying, “I’m not an abuser.” “My energy level is high like the rest of this team,” the star running back said at his locker after a federal appeals judge in New York ruled Friday he can play at least one more game — at home against Kansas City — before a three-judge panel takes up his case. His status after Sunday will be decided by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, perhaps as early as next week. Elliott assailed what he said was the NFL’s attempt to muddy his name, adding that a prolonged fight in the court system was worthwhile. His suspension has been weaving through the courts since he was ordered in August to serve the ban for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The suspension came after the NFL investigated his alleged use of force in the summer of 2016 against his girlfriend. Prosecutors in Columbus, Ohio, decided not to pursue the case in the city where Elliott starred for Ohio State, citing conflicting evidence. Elliott denied the allegations under oath during his NFL appeal.
› BOSTON — Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti said he will donate his brain to Boston University to support research of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In May, Buoniconti revealed he was diagnosed with dementia, and his doctors suspect CTE may contribute to his symptoms, which include impaired cognition, behavior and motor control. Buoniconti, 76, helped the 1972 Miami Dolphins achieve the NFL’s only undefeated season.