Auburn players speak up in defense, against Bryan Harsin

AUBURN – As the story of Bryan Harsin’s tenure continues to unfold, former and current players have begun to speak up in support and criticism of Harsin.

On Friday, February 4, Auburn Live spoke with outgoing defender T.D. Moultry about his experience at Auburn this season under Bryan Harsin. Here’s what he had to say:

“He doesn’t have favorites, he just wants to win games. He ain’t ok with losing. All that other stuff, I don’t know. From my experience, he’s a great person. He wants to win games for Auburn. We need the football team to get on track.

“I had to wait my opportunity. Even after football, you have to know when you’re spoken to, learn to speak up. I don’t know what (other players who have spoken against Harsin) problem is, I just did my job. I came from a tough background, but I didn’t have no feelings like he doesn’t care. He just may not understand. But those players don’t understand the tough part makes players.

“He didn’t take no bulls***. When the job didn’t get done. It was time to replace them. Put somebody in the right spot. Show up on time. That’s the first thing he taught us. Being on time can change a lot of stuff. A lot of guys didn’t like that.”

Moultry as asked if he had eligibility remaining, would he be returning to Auburn or transferring?

“I’d be coming back. I love Auburn,” he said. “If it wasn’t for Harsin, I’d be gone. The other coaches didn’t let me change. I knew I messed up, but I changed. Harsin allowed me to change. I’m happy he came. I made me believe more in myself. I’d definitely be staying at Auburn.”

Other important Auburn players came to Harsin’s defense as well. Team captain Chandler Wooten spoke up on Twitter, saying, “we didn’t need a best friend, we needed a coach. That’s what we had.”

Returning player Derick Hall also spoke up in defense of Bryan Harsin.

“Auburn Family, Don’t Believe The Things You See. Coach Harsin Works Harder Than No Other Man To Put This Program In The Best Position To Be Successful Point Blank Period. We Are Behind Him 100% No Matter What’s Being Said. Great Man Of Character Who Loves This Team! Stop The BS!!.”

And John Samuel Shenker defended Harsin as well.

“Listen and Listen Carefully: Coach Harsin is my football coach! He is the leader I want to have in my corner. If you have a problem with his Discipline, Toughness, and Conviction that he instills in his players than get your entitled, selfish, and soft tail out away this program. I’ll go into a foxhole with guys who love each other and back up Coach Harsin!”

Former Auburn defensive tackle Lee Hunter and former safety Smoke Monday both took to Instagram to say their piece against Harsin on Friday.

“Auburn is a special place and I’ll always be a true Auburn man,” Hunters said. “The reason I chose to leave Auburn was because we got treated like we weren’t good enough, and like dogs. Coach Harsin has the true mindset of a winner, but has a terrible mindset as a person.”

Monday added, “Love Auburn to death…I was at Auburn for four years and it never felt like it felt this past season…Harsin is a hell of a coach that wants to win, but as a person, he truly doesn’t understand kids that come from nothing, kids that come from the hood. As kids, we try our best to outgrow where we came from, but we need people that didn’t grow up the way we grew up to help us along the way. That was something Harsin didn’t do.”

[Harsin speaks to ESPN.com]

[Bryan Harsin’s immediate future in question]

[What this news means, what it doesn’t mean]