AUBURN, Alabama -- Former Auburn running back Mike Dyer was never close to being declared ineligible before the Tigers' 2011 BCS national championship game, his uncle, Andre Dyer, tells AL.com.
A Roopstigo.com report alleges, through quotes from former players, that the Auburn football program changed grades and offered money to players on the Tigers' national championship team. As many as nine players' grades were changed before a 22-19 victory against Oregon in the title game, according to the report. Dyer is the only player identified in the grade-change section of the expansive report. The validity of the report has since been questioned by two former players quoted in the story written by Selena Roberts, a former writer for the New York Times and Sports Illustrated.
"All I know is that after his freshman year Mike had a pretty good GPA," said Andre Dyer. "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 not have 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. Not ever at one time was it ever mentioned that he was academically ineligible. I don't know where all of that is coming from. I really don't."
Dyer, according to a source with knowledge of the situation, passed 15 hours at Auburn in the fall of 2010. A student-athlete must pass 24 hours of coursework within a given year to remain eligible, and 18 of those have to be between the start of the fall semester and spring commencement, according to the NCAA. Dyer would have been well ahead of pace.
Former Auburn defensive end Mike Blanc points to Mike Dyer in the report. "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 says in the report. Blanc later denied having direct knowledge of such an occurrence in interviews with AL.com and other media outlets. Roberts stood by her story in an interview with AL.com Wednesday night. She said Thursday she recorded audio of her interview with Blanc.
Mike Dyer has not talked to reporters, but his uncle said his nephew is frustrated.
"He's angry because we have done what we need to do to get back on our feet," Andre Dyer said. "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."
Dyer rushed for 1,093 yards as a true freshman and played a big part in the Tigers' BCS title win against Oregon.
Dyer enrolled at Arkansas Baptist last fall, where he made the Dean's List, his uncle said. Dyer followed Gus Malzahn, his offensive coordinator at Auburn, to Arkansas State following the 2011 season and enrolled there without any problems. He left Arkansas State after a state trooper reportedly found evidence of marijuana in his car during a traffic stop. An unloaded handgun, which was later returned to Dyer, was also confiscated. The trooper was fired after an internal investigation into his conduct.
Dyer will visit Texas Christian University and will speak to coach Gary Patterson on Thursday, Andre Dyer said. Dyer, the offensive MVP of the BCS title game, hopes to transfer to a Division I school in the fall after completing 19 hours of class work this spring and another class or two in the summer.
The Dyers are also interested in a return to Auburn, although a source said Dyer will not be brought back.
-- AL.com reporter Joel A. Erickson contributed to this report. --
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