Looks like Fran might have a new Job

Yeah, and as we all know, there's never been a contract broken in the USA...

Very few coaches that leave for other schools don't have contracts with the schools they left. LSU paid money to Vandy for DiNardo to get him out of his contract.

 

TT, Bama fans are just to delusional to realize that Bama is not the place every coach in the world wants to be. I don't think Fran really likes it in Bama seeing how he eyed the Notre Dame job last year too. I think he leaves if the Aggies offer. O yea I forgot he is under contract as opposed to every other coach in the nation, when they go to other schools they didn't have contracts. Bama out-smarted everyone by making their coach sign one. Right? Ever heard of a buy out idiot? Have fun finding a coach who wants to coach for a school thats about to get slammed again.

 

I hope he's gone...

This is nothing personal directed toward you Bama fans, but I hope Coach Fran is gone. Even though he displayed little class after our game with them a couple of weeks ago, I think he's a good coach and I have no beef with him. This is why I hope he leaves Bama. I want nothing but the worst for the University of Alabama. They deserved the death penalty for their actions that landed them on probation THIS TIME. The only thing that makes me happier about a Bama loss is an LSU win (or a Tuberville firing). I just don't like cheaters and Coach Bryant was one when he was at Bama. Heaven forbid Coach Saban ever gets caught up in that, and if he does, he should be fired too. There's no place for that crap in college atheletics.
And regarding Coach Fran hurting our recruiting the Houston area if he were in College Station...I welcome the competition. Coach Saban is first class and I have the utmost confidence in him to outcoach, outrecruit, and eat more Little Debbie cakes than anyone(if you listen to his weekly radio show, then you got the Little Debbie reference).

 

The same paper has now retracted that story..

with the guy who runs the paper saying it never should have been printed in the first place.

If you will allow me, let me give you a little perspective on this story and the rumor.

First of all the same papers which are perpetuating these latest rumors are the same one's who villified Coach Fran for a good year after he left TCU. Last season it was Kansas. Think about that for a second.

Some of you may be familiar with the name Mike McKensie. For those who aren't he is the editor of Coachfran.com. He's a former writer (actually the sports editor) for the Tuscaloosa News covering Alabama. He is a writer for Sports Illustrated along with the biographer for the upcoming book on Coach Fran.

He has come out publically and stated that neither Coach Fran or Fran's agent have had any contact with Texas A&M or any from their administration. You can believe, if anyone would be in contact with aTm in this situation (announcing his job on Monday, right?) it would be his agent. You can also believe Mike is in a position to know.

He agent was in Tuscaloosa this past week (left Tuesday night) and before he left he said the negotiations on the extension of Coach Fran's contract are going really well and all the t's should be crossed along with the i's dotted very soon. It's my estimation it'll be within 2 weeks.

In closing, when Mike talked with Coach Fran on the phone the other day the coach was asking where all this stuff starts in the first place (rumors).

That question, I could not even begin to answer.

 

Well, don't listen to me... here's his own words.
Regarding the theory that he wanted to leave because of how harsh the sanctions are:

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Coach Fran:
Nothing has really changed from my standpoint. We have worked our plan based on last February's ruling and we will stay the course. We knew this could happen. From this point on, we're on the downhill side of this issue and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We will maintain our focus over that which we have control and put this situation behind us.
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Regarding the new contract, A&M, etc:
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I'm saying this for what seems like the millionth time -- the contract will be settled after the season ends. Details are being worked out by the people who do those things, and it should not be a topic for discussion during Auburn week, or any other week we have a game. The web editor says our email box is overloaded and my secretary says the phone has rung constantly about this. Give it a rest, please. I'm under contract for five more seasons. I'm sorry if for whatever reason you don't like us waiting until we do our jobs first or how I answer your questions.

Nothing -- underline this, NOTHING -- will distract me, our assistant coaches, or our players from what we must accomplish on the field this Saturday, and the Saturday after that. I refused to answer the phone today after an idiotic story about Texas A&M in the San Antonio paper crossed my desk first thing this morning. I don't know how on earth these rumors get started and there's nothing I can do about them. I'd prefer to ignore them if people would let me.

This shouldn't even warrant a response. But to put your mind at ease, nothing in that story or things reported to me from emails today is true.

It all makes me angry because it takes away from what we should all be excited about this week, our game in one of the greatest college football rivalries in history. I'll repeat what I said a while back: R.C. Slocum is the head coach at Texas A&M, and he's a close friend of mine. To talk about speculation on his job would be unprofessional. He has his biggest rival Texas to prepare for and doesn't need or deserve all this rumor mill stuff.

And our players don't deserve it either, as we prepare for our biggest rival.

Roll Tide!
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These are Fran's words. Take 'em however you like.