T.J. Neal not happy about lack of playing time with Auburn

#1      

StateFarmCenter

StateFarmCenter
StateFarmCenter
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/spor...iversity/war-eagle-extra/article99937447.html

“What a night it been for me,” Neal said. “A player who have 25 career starts and many stats Sat on the bench all night . Gots be more than life this.”

Neal wasn’t done there tweeting out his resume — 245 career tackles , 20TFL's, 2sack ,1 INT, 1FF and All Big ten honorable mention — and venting his frustration further.

“I have the world greatest mother,” Neal tweeted. “She drove 12 hours with my 2 sisters to come/support me and see me play two reps on special teams #Thanks”

Neal’s tweets comes on the heels of one of the best Auburn defensive performances of Malzahn’s tenure. It held a Clemson offense led by Heisman candidate Deshaun Watson to less than 300 total yards of offense and forced two turnovers.
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#4      
TownieMatt
Wow. Have to assume they promised him playing time for him to have this reaction. That's SEC recruiting for you.

In retrospect I bet he regrets transferring. Sucks for us too because having him an Nickerson would have been a respectable linebacking core.
 
#5      
ATL Chief
He must not expect to play much the rest of the year...a tweet or two like that surely isn't helping him get on the field!
 
#6      
brosox
No sympathy for him. He is the one who chose to leave a guaranteed starting job for a big ten school. If I recall he even had the opportunity to change his mind after Lovie was hired.
 
#7      
IlliniMed
brosox said:
No sympathy for him. He is the one who chose to leave a guaranteed starting job for a big ten school. If I recall he even had the opportunity to change his mind after Lovie was hired.
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Did not realize he was given the opportunity to come back after Lovie was hired. Sometimes the glitz and glamour make you blind to whats right in front of you.
 
#8      
Hoppy2105
Yikes. Seriously, that is a quick way to get in the doghouse with your coach and teammates. I bet he wishes he could rewind the clock about 1 year.

Such is life...
 
#10      
SwarminOrange
I know this will sound like sour grapes but I recall Neal getting abused regularly in the open field by RBs and WRs. I was initially surprised a program like Auburn wanted him and this confirms my suspicions. I respect his contributions as an Illini during some tough seasons but transferring looks like a really poor decision.
 
#11      
sinmyp
Hard to feel sorry for a player that transferred and left us in need.
 
#13      
Jacob
Please be better than this Illini fans. He committed to Auburn after they brought back Cubit. Hardy talked to him and said that TJ liked that they came in but he was going to honor his commitment to Auburn. He was a good person here who faced a lot of adversity at Illinois and he handled it with class. He was lied to at Auburn and I am sorry for him and he was hurt. He is still in his early 20's and acted with some immaturity. It happens. I wish him nothing but the best
 
#14      
Second and Chalmers
Jacob said:
Please be better than this Illini fans. He committed to Auburn after they brought back Cubit. Hardy talked to him and said that TJ liked that they came in but he was going to honor his commitment to Auburn. He was a good person here who faced a lot of adversity at Illinois and he handled it with class. He was lied to at Auburn and I am sorry for him and he was hurt. He is still in his early 20's and acted with some immaturity. It happens. I wish him nothing but the best
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No freaking kidding. That kid was terrific as an Illini in a chaotic, abusive environment and he deserves our full support. Those tweets are not a good decision, but here's hoping he finds his way back to the field.
 
#15      
Stevegarbs
Jacob said:
Please be better than this Illini fans. He committed to Auburn after they brought back Cubit. Hardy talked to him and said that TJ liked that they came in but he was going to honor his commitment to Auburn. He was a good person here who faced a lot of adversity at Illinois and he handled it with class. He was lied to at Auburn and I am sorry for him and he was hurt. He is still in his early 20's and acted with some immaturity. It happens. I wish him nothing but the best
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Thanks for posting this information. It seems as if the kid was in a bad spot and it turned out as poorly as it could.


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#16      
FiveStar
I think he's getting screwed at auburn but who's to say if he stayed he'd play? This staff wants a different kind of LB. Plus he didn't wanna play outside, and with Hardy, he'd be doing that anyway. I never did think he was an sec type of athlete though. It's just tough for him to have his last year go like this.
 
#19      
JucoIllini10
The Auburn defense held one of college football's most talented offenses to 19 points. T.J. used this time to complain about playing time instead of congratulating his fellow defenders for a great performance. Not a good look.
 
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