BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Gene Chizik could lose his job next week.

It would take longer, but the Auburn football coach could lose something else down the road.

His generous buyout.

There were some fresh details made public Wednesday by Yahoo! Sports and then al.com, but it's not news that the NCAA has been investigating Auburn football for the recruitment of former signee Jovon Robinson of Memphis. At least.

It would be foolish to jump to conclusions about where any NCAA probe will lead, especially at Auburn. The school survived a 13-month colonoscopy that looked into Cam Newton, the HBO 4 and its recruiting in at least four states and didn't result in so much as a formal allegation of a single major violation.

There's no telling where the current examination will lead, but it couldn't come at a worse time for Chizik. The worst Auburn season in decades promises to come to a bad end Saturday in the Iron Bowl, after which school President Jay Gogue will determine Chizik's fate.

Gogue will have to decide to retain or release Chizik long before the NCAA finds Auburn guilty or not guilty of anything, but there is one certainty in this uncertain situation.

According to his contract, if Chizik – or any of his staff members – are found to have been “involved in significant or repetitive violations of NCAA regulations,” he can be terminated “for cause.”

“For cause” means “the university owes no further payment of funds or other benefit to coach under this agreement” beyond any salary and bonuses he earned - “prior to the event(s) or conduct underlying the university’s decision to terminate him for cause” - that haven’t been paid.

Since Chizik’s $3.5 million annual compensation package is paid monthly, he no doubt was paid what he earned before any potential NCAA violations occurred.

It’s important to note that the language in Chizik’s contract about being fired for cause didn’t change from the original deal he signed June 11, 2009, to the extension he signed June 9, 2011. Neither did a key section in paragraph 13, “Compliance with Policies, Rules and Regulations.”

Subparagraph (e) says, “Pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 11.2.1, it is agreed that coach may be suspended for a period of time without pay, or his employment may be terminated if university, the SEC or the NCAA concludes or has reasonable basis to believe, after providing coach notice (including being made aware of the allegations at issue) and an opportunity to be heard, that he or any person under his supervision or subject to his control or authority is involved in significant or repetitive violations of NCAA regulations.”

Notice that it doesn't say Chizik has to be aware that one of his assistants or staffers has broken NCAA rules. It also doesn't say that those violations have to be major. They can be repetitive, and Auburn acknowledged in 2009 that Trooper Taylor was temporarily barred from off-campus recruiting that year for his actions relating to the Big Cat recruiting weekend.

It's believed that Taylor and recruiting coordinator Curtis Luper recently were removed from off-campus recruiting, although it's unclear whether this was a precautionary measure. When asked, Chizik declined an opportunity to answer those questions.

Bottom line: After a year in which Auburn football has failed on the field and struggled off it, even the suggestion of NCAA trouble is the last thing Chizik needed.

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