Allen Greene addresses talks with new Auburn president Chris Roberts

Auburn athletic director Allen Greene held a meeting with new school president Chris Roberts as he enters the final year of his contract. Amid rumors that he could be on his way out soon, the leadership group remains vocal about their support and desire to retain him moving forward.

Speaking with a handful of reporters ahead of an event in Georgia, Allen Greene provided an update on the relationship he has with Chris Roberts at this time.

“Dr. Roberts, number one, he is a class-act person,” Greene told AL.com. “And I’ve known that from his time and our interactions when he was the dean of the College of Engineering. Now he’s stepping over into this new role, and just sitting down and getting a feel for his energy and his intellect and his problem-solving ability, it’s really cool to be a part of.”

As he continued to speak about the early meetings with his new boss, Greene provided reporters with his evaluation of Roberts’ future in the role at Auburn.

“(Roberts) has got a lot to learn, and there’s a lot of nuance, a lot of change in our industry, and I’m really looking forward to being part of his team as he looks to take Auburn from here to here; that elevation is really important,” Greene said. “That’s what we strive for and locking our arms and doing that in lockstep with him is going to be a really fun journey.”

Allen Greene on Chris Roberts

During an appearance on the Paul Finebaum Show this month, Allen Greene took time to address the many rumors about his commitment and job security at Auburn.

“I haven’t missed it, and I hear people say stuff,” said Greene. “I try to remind people we’ve gone through a really unique situation at Auburn. I was hired by a particular president, we had the interim who was the former president come back – he was definitely temporary – and he wanted to make sure the new president had the opportunity to evaluate the athletics department. Chris Roberts is that person. I’m excited and looking forward to working with him, he’s done a tremendous job in the college of engineering.”

Following up, Paul Finebaum then asked directly whether Allen Greene still wants the Auburn athletic director job after all the controversy.

“I absolutely do, I absolutely do,” said Greene. “It’s funny that you ask, and it’s not loaded at all in fact, but someone said that there was questions about whether I wanted to get Auburn or not. And I said, ‘Well that’s news to me,” because all that I have said all along is that I love being on the plains, I love Auburn, my family does too.”