Hugh Freeze delivered a lengthy statement after being fired as Auburn’s head coach on Sunday, expressing his gratitude and appreciation to the Auburn community.
The statement was favorable, despite Freeze’s dismissal after finishing 15-19 in 34 games in charge.
One day later, Freeze’s daughter, Madison, recorded a lengthy video on TikTok describing her side of the story and how she felt following the decision. She stated in the video that she wanted to “show the reality of what many families are walking through right now.”
Despite her father’s $15.8 million buyout, she emphasized how tough the situation was.
In that video, she mentioned how she’s experienced her father being fired without a buyout, something she called a “much harder situation.”
After Hugh Freeze was dismissed from his role as Auburn’s head coach on Sunday, he released a lengthy statement thanking the university community for their support and expressing his appreciation for his time there. Despite being fired after compiling a 15–19 record over 34 games, Freeze’s message remained gracious and positive.
A day later, his daughter, Madison, shared her own perspective in an emotional TikTok video. She explained that she wanted to “show the reality of what many families are walking through right now,” speaking candidly about the emotional toll the firing had taken on their family—even with her father’s $15.8 million buyout.
“People can say what they want about money,” Madison said. “Not enough money that can make you feel like this was worth it or we wanted this to happen.”
She also voiced her disappointment with how things ended at Auburn, saying, “We came here hoping to restore a program and we were promised four years, and that didn’t happen.”
Freeze was fired nine games into his third season, finishing with a 15–19 overall record, including 6–16 in SEC play, 9–11 at home, and 1–12 against AP Top 25 opponents.
“I get that people didn’t see the results that they wanted in three years, but we all knew that this was gonna be much longer than a three-year rebuild,” Madison said. “This industry is very tough.”
She expressed empathy for her father, noting that he “loved the people in that building and is devastated that they’ll carry on without him.”
Auburn defensive coordinator DJ Durkin has been named interim head coach.
Throughout her video, Madison emphasized how difficult coaching firings can be on families, using herself as an example. “I think sometimes there’s just this misconstrued vision of what reality actually is for families like this and it is hard, it is not fun,” she said. “I have two presentations this week. I don’t, like I’m in a daze, I don’t know how to stand up in front of people and present.”
She also spoke about her father’s health, saying it had “deteriorated over this.” As she mentioned that, text on the video read, “As y’all boo him out the stadium,” followed by an upside-down smiley face emoji.
Freeze was diagnosed in February with an early, low-aggressive form of prostate cancer and initially chose not to undergo surgery. “My wife has me taking all kinds of natural things that supposedly may cure prostate cancer,” Freeze said in July. “We hope it does and we’ll recheck it in January to see where things are.”
Madison said the family now feels a sense of relief that her father can finally focus on his health: “There’s a relief of my dad finally gets to have the surgeries that he needs, and when those are scheduled, he’s gonna get healthy.”
Near the end of the video, Madison directed criticism at Auburn and its community. “We loved Auburn, and the second we got here, everybody was very adamant that if you love Auburn, it will love you back,” she said. “Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for us.”
She added, “We don’t wish bad upon them, but we do hope that they turn to the Lord and find Jesus.”
Her video received backlash from some Auburn fans, who called it “tone deaf” and criticized her for complaining despite the sizable buyout.
Madison later posted a follow-up video clarifying her intentions, saying she didn’t mean to sound ungrateful or “be insensitive to problems that other people are facing.”
@madi.freeze
“There are many families, whether y’all want to believe that or not, that are walking through this right now,” she said. “There are multiple people who have to walk through this, and a lot of them don’t get paid. So, very grateful to stand where we stand.
“So, yes, I came on here to show the reality of it, because whether you’re getting paid or not, it is really hard to hear things about you and your family that are most of the time, simply not true, and secondly, hurtful. Money doesn’t matter in this situation. It’s the fact that my heart goes out to those people who are, who have families.”
While the second video also drew mixed reactions, as of Tuesday afternoon, it remains Madison Freeze’s only response to the criticism.