Auburn hires ex-Mississippi State athletic director Cohen

Associated PressOct 31, 2022, 11:24 PM EDT

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn named former Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen to the same position on Monday, charging him with hiring a new football coach.

The school announced Cohen’s hire about six hours after saying that President Chris Roberts had fired second-year Tigers coach Bryan Harsin.

Cohen had been athletic director at Mississippi State since November 2016 after a long career as a baseball coach. He hired Joe Moorhead for a short-lived stint as the Bulldogs coach and then replaced him with Mike Leach.

The Tigers and Mississippi State play Saturday in Starkville.

“John has a wealth of experience in college athletics, particularly in the Southeastern Conference and his resume and references are impeccable,” Roberts said. “His leadership and success as a head coach and an athletic director speak for themselves.

“John will embrace Auburn and be a tremendous leader for our athletics program as we move forward.”

Cohen, who played baseball for Mississippi State, was a two-time SEC coach of the year.

“Auburn is an incredibly special place as is demonstrated by the hall of fame coaches and athletes that have been a part of its storied history,” Cohen said. “I understand the traditions and values at Auburn and look forward to continuing those traditions. I’m humbled and honored to be joining the Auburn family.”

Cohen elevated Rich McGlynn, who had served as interim AD, to deputy athletics director.

Cohen is serving a four-year term on the 10-member NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

Getty Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.

Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey suspended after arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 12:05 PM EDT

Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Chad Bailey was suspended from the team after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the team said.

The 23-year-old, who was a team captain last season, was booked at about 2:45 a.m. and released after posting $500 bond, according to online records from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are aware of the situation involving Chad Bailey,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’s been suspended according to Department of Athletics policy. We have high expectations for all of our student-athletes, on and off the field, and we will follow all departmental and campus policies.”

Bailey was Mizzou’s third-leading tackler with 57 stops last season. He started all 11 games he played, missing two with an injury. He’ll be a sixth-year senior this fall after opting to return for his final year of eligibility, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The Missouri student-athlete handbook says any athlete who is arrested must serve a minimum one-week suspension.

Bailey was pulled over at about 1 a.m. not far from the Columbia campus for an expired license plate and lane violation, a police statement said. Bailey told the officer he had consumed alcohol and then performed poorly on a field sobriety test, the Post-Dispatch reported.