Auburn director of athletics Jay Jacobs is stepping down.

The Tigers’ AD will step down on June 1, 2018 — or sooner — according to a pair of tweets from SEC Network sideline reporter Cole Cubelic on Friday.

Auburn announced the news late Friday afternoon following several days of chatter surrounding the impending decision, according to a report from The Auburn Plainsman.

“Earlier this week, I informed President Leath that I will step down as Director of Athletics on June 1, 2018, or sooner if my successor is in place,” Jacobs wrote in a letter obtained by The Plainsman. “I have come to this decision after a lot of prayer, deliberative discussions with my wife, Angie, and with the realization that it is time for a new leader of an incredible Department.”

“Until a new Director of Athletics is chosen, I will work hard every day every way I can. I still have work to do, but I know already that I will miss so much about this place,” he wrote. “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.”

Jacobs has served as the Auburn director of athletics for the past 13 years.

Here are the tweets from Cubelic: