Allen Greene reportedly in negotiations over his future as Auburn’s athletics director
By Keith Farner
Published:
Allen Greene is reportedly on his way out as Auburn’s athletics director, according to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN. The negotiations are about “his imminent departure from the school.”
“According to sources, Greene had asked Auburn for clarity about his future with his deal expiring in January. Auburn was likely to wait until the end of football season to make a decision, which led to Greene finding an exit strategy.”
Greene, who has been in the middle of the struggle between Auburn boosters and coaching staffs, has only 5 months remaining on his contract. Some finality is expected on Friday.
Auburn recently changed presidents as Chris Roberts took over this year, and Greene’s contract is set to expire in early 2023. He served in the same capacity at the University at Buffalo from November 2015 until his arrival at Auburn.
The cumulative grade-point average for all Auburn Athletics teams has risen from 3.19 to 3.25 during his tenure, with nearly 70 percent of student-athletes earning 3.0 or higher GPAs during the 2020-21 academic year, according to his bio. Eleven teams earned perfect 1,000 Academic Progress Rates in 2020-21 with seven programs earning multi-year APRs of 1,000. In 2020-21, 244 Auburn student-athletes earned recognition on the SEC Academic Honor Roll.
Greene, who has been at Auburn since January 2018, is often discussed amid the ongoing power struggle that is the Auburn athletics department and boosters. He was criticized by some in recent months for his relative lack of response during the discussions about Bryan Harsin’s future with the Tigers, and the fact that the football team struggled mightily down the stretch last season.
Besides football, Greene’s department had an overall successful year, with men’s basketball reaching its first number one ranking in program history. The gymnastics team is led by Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, who has brought national attention to The Plains.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
