Here's the 4 Ways This Could End

There are only four possible ways this ends:

1) It blows over.

Auburn will need some good PR to recover from it. You'll need a big presser called where the Prez and AD make clear they investigated and all the rumors are unfounded. If this happens, I do not think it will be all that bad. It will blow over after a while and things will be fine. This is personally what I hope happens.

2) Fired with cause.

Believe it or not, AU might not want this as much as you might think at first glance. Harsin can (and will) drag them through court if they don't have something that is 100% rock solid and indisputable. None of the GOB's want pre-trial discovery nor do they want to sit for depositions. It will expose the way they operate to the public. The only way this is the best option for them is if something 100% indisputable is discovered. I don't think they have that, so I think they avoid this option completely.

3) Fired without cause.

Not only will AU owe him $18 million, but the PR hit will be atrocious. AU's name will be mud nationwide. The ESPN talking heads will have a field day for months. Auburn already has a terrible reputation in the coaching community, but this will make it 100 times worse. For Harsin's replacement, AU will be stuck hiring a high-school coach or some unknown coordinator. I think this is absolutely the worst decision for the GOB's (money) and Auburn in general (bad PR and a new incompetent coach).

4) Settlement Agreement.

This is what, I think, Auburn wants most. The GOB's and Harsin sit in a smoke-filled room and reach an agreement. The GOB's convince Harsin he will never be successful as coach and that he will be offered the option to "resign." Harsin holds a presser saying he is stepping down for the good of the program (or some such vague statement). In return they pay him a few million. Most importantly, though, Harsin will be forced to sign an NDA agreeing never to talk about what really happened AND to never take them to court. This option is absolutely best for GOB's because A) it's cheaper and B) they will buy Harsin's silence and C) avoid litigation. However, this is the absolute WORST option for the rest of us. Harsin would "resign" which means the public never learns what actually happened or who was truly at fault. We will just be stuck with all the rumor and innuendo forever. 20 years from now there will be posts here arguing over it.