During the football team's championship run and in the months since, Auburn has faced a lot of negative attention in the media.
From talk of having our title stripped should anything negative come from the Newton investigation to an HBO special alleging Auburn paid players, it seems there is no end to lengths people will take to knock us down.
Most recently sportsbybrooks.com, a popular sports blog, ran an article alleging the athletic department pays the Tigerettes to sleep with visiting recruits.
These reports have next to no factual backup and highlight the depths salacious sports journalism has taken in recent years.
While these types of "articles" draw readership, it is sickening the defamation to character the subjects must endure.
Jamie Nolen, Tigerettes vice president, has been called a prostitute on many Internet message boards and had her photo scrutinized with several lewd comments.
This is absolutely disgusting especially to think her parents have to see these comments.
You can talk trash about Auburn and call our University a cow college. Those comments roll right off our backs at this point.
However, Brooks Sports should be ashamed for sinking to this level.
I may not know Jamie personally, but I can only imagine the hell on Earth she must be dealing with and hope she doesn't take these allegations to heart.
It seems as though underdog stories are no longer something to be appreciated, but instead they are torn down.
We were given little time to celebrate our incredible championship run before the mudslinging began.
I don't expect the rest of the nation to put our team and school on a pedestal by any means, but I do expect a certain level of respect especially from other journalists.
If you find fault in our athletic department or spending practices, please bring it to light.
That is your job.
But before you go and ruin a young woman's good name, make sure you know without a shadow of a doubt your facts are in order.
Auburn has always been a place filled with ambitious young men and women, and I have never felt more at home or welcomed anywhere I have been.
That's what makes me so furious about these personal attacks on our school, team and students.
I have always been one to own up to any mistakes I have made and expect my University to do the same.
If the athletic department says they have done nothing wrong, I will stand behind them until I find something to say otherwise.
We need to make a move back to good, clean reporting and stop printing articles on the premise of the rumor mill.
I hope Jamie and the Auburn family stay strong during this time, and stay "All In."
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