A day after a report was published that questioned Michael Dyer’s academic eligibility for the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, Dyer’s uncle refuted the report and defended the Little Rock native.
Andre Dyer told multiple news outlets Thursday that he never knew about the possibility of his nephew being ineligible for Auburn’s 22-19 victory over Oregon in the national championship game on Jan. 10, 2011, and that Michael Dyer was in good academic standing throughout his first year at Auburn.
Andre Dyer declined comment when contacted by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Thursday, but told Al.com that “not ever at one time was it ever mentioned that he [Michael Dyer] was academically ineligible.”
A report published Wednesday on the website Roopstigo.com quoted former Auburn players accusing the program under former coach Gene Chizik of paying players and changing grades. The report cited former Auburn players Mike Blanc and Mike McNeil, who said Dyer’s name had been mentioned among a group of players thought to be ineligible for the BCS title game.
“We thought we would be without Mike Dyer because he said he was one of them, but Auburn found a way to make those dudes eligible,” Blanc said in the story.
McNeil is set to stand trial next week for a 2011 armed robbery that involved three other former teammates, including Little Rock Christian graduate Dakota Mosley, and the use of a gun belonging to Dyer.
A separate report, published by ESPN.com on Thursday, said Mosley admitted to testing positive for synthetic marijuana. ESPN reported that Mosley tested positive for the drug seven times and that Dyer also tested positive for the drug.
Dyer, who also attended Little Rock Christian, left Auburn after the 2011 season and enrolled at Arkansas State. He spent last spring with the Red Wolves before being dismissed from the team in July for what then-Coach Gus Malzahn called a violation of team rules. It was later revealed that Dyer had been pulled over in March 2012 in White County by an Arkansas State Police officer who found marijuana and a gun in his car.
Dyer is currently enrolled at Arkansas Baptist College in Little Rock.
“All I know is that after his freshman year, Mike had a pretty good GPA,” Andre Dyer told Al.com. “It wasn’t the best, but it was pretty good, so I don’t see where there’s any way to say he was not eligible to play in the game. I think if he wasn’t eligible, he would have not been able to play.
“Now, as far as how things are done, I don’t know. I don’t get into all of that. It’s not my concern, but I did keep up with how he was doing.”
Al.com cited a source that said Dyer passed 15 hours at Auburn in the fall of 2010.
ESPN’s Joe Schad also reported on Twitter that Andre Dyer said his nephew was “never even close” to being academically ineligible.
Andre Dyer told both outlets that Michael Dyer plans to visit TCU soon and told ESPN that he wants to land at a school in Arkansas, Texas or Oklahoma.
Chizik, who was fired by Auburn after last season, released a statement Thursday denying that he paid players or changed grades.
“During my time as Auburn’s head coach, I never authorized, instructed or directed anyone to change any player’s grade or provide any type of illegal payment to any student-athlete,” Chizik said in the statement. “Likewise, I am not aware of any alleged grade change or illegal payment by any member of my coaching staff, support staff or anyone else.”
Andre Dyer told Al.com that his nephew is frustrated by the report.
“He’s angry because we have done what we need to do to get back on our feet,” he told a reporter for the website. “We have taken our lumps that we deserve for actions or inactions, and for people to keep bringing his name up on the negative side of things, I just don’t get it.”
Sports, Pages 23 on 04/05/2013