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Add Charles Barkley to Very Long List of People Who Hate Gene Chizik

Something tells me the list of "People Who Like Gene Chizik" is a bit shorter than this one.

We've already told you why the Chizik hiring at Auburn is, um, questionable. Fans have had their say, and they're not happy.

Life of Sir Charles' Barkley

Retired NBA star Charles Barkley always speaks his mind. Now he's weighing in on the selection of a new football coach at his old school, Auburn University, saying race was a factor. Click through to see more "Sir Charles" moments.

NBA/Getty Images

Barkley said that NBA Superstar LeBron James(left) should just "shut the hell up" about possible free agency options in 2010. James responded, "He's stupid. That's all I've got to say about that."

Getty Images

To one lucky student, "Sir Charles" was more like "Saint Charles." During a visit to an Italian restaurant last summer, Barkley struck up a friendship with a 28-year-old busboy named Christian Abate and offered to pay his tuition so he could finish college. "He's a nice kid," Barkley said. "He was working with kids, I loved that he wanted to be a teacher, and I wanted to help him."

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Politics? Why not? Barkley told CNN in October he plans to run for Governor of Alabama in 2014. Asked if he was serious, Barkley responded, "I am, I can't screw up Alabama."

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images

On the court, Barkley was frequently fined for fights with other players. In 1990, Barkley and Bill Laimbeer were each fined $20,000 (a record amount for the NBA at the time) for a fracas during a playoff game.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE via Getty Images

While Barkley was beloved by fans, he gained fame for his anti-role model stance. "A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" Barkley said in 1993, which launched his famous "I am not a role model" Nike ad campaign.

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE/Getty Images

As a player, the fiery Barkley had a few run-ins with the law. He was once arrested for breaking a man's nose during a fight after a game with the Bucks, and he once famously threw a man through a plate-glass window after being hit with a glass of ice at a bar.

Orange County Sheriff's Office / AP

After retiring as a player, Barkley joined TNT's 'Inside the NBA,' where he has become the "butt" of many a joke. Literally. In one skit, Barkley was forced to kiss a donkey's posterior after losing a bet with Kenny Smith.

YouTube

During the 2007 All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Barkley took part in a memorable foot race against 67-year-old referee Dick Bavetta. Barkley won the race, while Bavetta dove at the finish line and wound up bloodying his knee.

Nathaniel S. Butler, NBAE/Getty Images

In May, Barkley made headlines after a Las Vegas district attorney said he could face criminal charges if he didn't repay a $400,000 debt owed to the Wynn casino. Sir Charles has since repaid the debt and stated he will quit gambling in the future.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Time now for the alumni to chime in. We'll start with one of Auburn's most visible alums: Charles Barkley. I don't think he's happy.

"I think race was the No. 1 factor," said Barkley, who played basketball for three seasons at Auburn during the early 1980s. "You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two resumes and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst resume."

"I'm just very disappointed. I just thought Turner Gill would be the perfect choice for two reasons: He's a terrific coach and we needed to make a splash. I thought we had to do something spectacular to bring attention to the program. Clearly, if we'd hired a black coach, it would have created a buzz."

Ouch.

Everybody Hates Gene Chizik

At right, Track 'Em Tigers reacts to the Chizik hire. It's been clear that the people running Auburn's athletic department were kind of petulant little babies for a while now -- ever since the Petrino planegate fiasco -- but the extent was unknown until Tommy Tubberville was fired or forced out or resigned or whatever and Auburn didn't immediately hire Brian Kelly or Paul Johnson.

Submitted as a rule: if you're Auburn and you're going to can a guy who's won six of seven versus Alabama and has the kind of record Tubby has, you had better reel in an exciting head coaching candidate. A 5-19 record is not exciting, and Auburn blogs know it. A sampling of the reaction out there follows.

The War Eagle Reader:

I wanted my life back.
I got kicked in the balls.

... the balls of my Auburn heart.

Some random guy pissed off enough to stalk Auburn AD Jay Jacobs to the airport and heckle him:

Freshman Iowa State receiver Darius Darks:

"I understand business is business, but this man lied. At a team meeting, he was sitting there saying 'I told your mother, Jerrod Black, and I sat on your auntie's couch, Darius Darks, and I told her I would take care of you while you was up here at Iowa State.' Where's that n---- at now? Auburn University."

And, finally, the Joe Cribbs Car Wash:

It doesn't seem real. It doesn't seem like they could possibly be so shortsighted. I'm going to spend tonight trying to figure out how to react. That, and drinking.

Right now, my reaction is to really hate the Bill Stewart hire last year because this prevents me from claiming this to be the worst hire in at least eight years. (Bobby Williams, if you were trying to connect the dots.) The Stewart analogy is apt: both WVU and Auburn had successful long-term coaches that seemed happy where they were. The coach's unexpected departure was a symptom of a diseased organization, and the hire made in the aftermath is a definitive diagnosis.

(Heckler via the Georgia Sports Blog.)