If I had met Jay Jacobs at a bar or a cattle auction or in the plumbing section at Home Depot, I would have thought he was just an average guy. In another life, he could have been my cool older friend, the guy who bought me beer when I was underage and showed me how to cat call at women on the street.
Last semester, I was invited to eat lunch with Jacobs in the hallowed halls of the athletic department.
I didn't want to go because I was invited under the pretense that I am student leader, which I am not. Also, I have written a few less-than-kind editorials about Jacobs and his inability to hire winning coaches. The fear of a poisoned sandwich and a shallow grave somewhere on Pat Dye's ranch made me anxious.
But I went, and I'm glad I did.
It's easy to say people are bad at their jobs and demand they be fired from far away behind the safety of a newspaper. Eating lunch in their office is quite different.
For those of you who have never met Jacobs, let me try to describe his personality.
He's an amiable straight-talker who seems to be genuinely interested in whoever he's talking to. His story as a walk-on during Pat's Dye's reign over the Tigers is impressive and, at least for me, was somewhat endearing. I'm a sucker for tales of Auburn's past.
I wanted him to be a jerk. I wanted him to tell me I was a no-talent hack. I wanted him to give me a reason to not like him.
Instead, he killed my ire with kindness. He bought his way onto my good side with a Panera Bread sandwich and a smile.
The worst part: I still think he should be fired.
Of course, I'm not some tortured soul who can't reconcile the choice he has to make with his whiney conscience. I know Jacobs has not hired a coach who can consistently bring us the wins we so desperately crave, and, therefore, has failed at his job.
There is a club of former Auburn coaches somewhere, and its only requirement for membership is being hired and fired by Jacobs, and that club seems to be getting bigger every year. If you go to Jacobs' Wikipedia page, there is a one sentence paragraph that stands as a bleak reminder to one of the of worst football seasons in the history of the University - and the most damning evidence to Jacobs' poor job skills.
But now I've met the man I want to put out of work, and despite all the negativity I have towards his performance, Jacobs - as a person - is all right with me. I've shaken his hand and looked him in the eye, and that has given me a greater appreciation for what I have to say about him and my responsibility to keep the job and the man separate.
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