Given the nonstop barrage of Auburn headlines over the last six months — good and bad — you've probably forgotten all about the "Tiger Prowl," the barnstorming tour of Auburn coaches attempting to dazzle in-state recruits by emerging en masse from limos, stretch hummers and, last year, a custom-painted bus in front of their schools. But even if you don't, the NCAA does, and it's decided to take a longer look:
The Birmingham News made an open-records request to Auburn seeking documents related to any individual NCAA violations from last year's Tiger Prowl, the attention-grabbing recruiting practice that Auburn coaches used while traveling the state. Auburn denied the request, saying that Tiger Prowl is the subject of a "pending investigation" and that Alabama law therefore does not require release of the records at this time.
"The NCAA is not reviewing Tiger Prowl as individual violations. They are reviewing the entire event as a whole," Auburn Senior Associate Athletics Director Scott Carr wrote in response to The News' request. "Therefore, the investigative phase of this event is still on-going and we are currently working with the NCAA."
Auburn did not say what the NCAA is investigating in relation to Tiger Prowl. Auburn declined to comment further.
The bureaucrats in Indianapolis aren't just catching up to the traveling circus: This time last year, it passed Tiger Prowl-targeted legislation that restricted schools to two coaches per recruiting visit. But it is the first time (that we know of) they've felt compelled to go beyond a disapproving scowl. At some point, though, the Tiger Prowl was the only corridor of Auburn recruiting that the NCAA wasn't actively investigating for one specific charge or another. To recap, its open, unresolved and ongoing probes on the Plains still include:
? Allegations that Cam Newton's father solicited a six-figure payment for his son's recruitment, a case that, at last glance, was still open in February.
? Questions about two coveted recruits from Thibodeaux, La., Trovon Reed and Greg Robinson, with connections to a "mentor" who drove both on unofficial recruiting visits to Auburn.
? On-camera allegations by four former players who told HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" they received cash and other benefits both before and after enrolling at Auburn from 2003-07, one of whom is meeting with investigators next week.
The only aspect of Tiger recruiting not under official scrutiny is Trooper Taylor's power towel, composed of lord knows what kinds of secretly alluring fibers and scents. Maybe someday, the NCAA will even ask a meaningful question it's actually equipped to answer.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
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