Maybe Bruce Pearl can survive this storm. Maybe he and his employer can settle their differences and go back to business as usual.
And maybe, when Pearl's time in his current job comes to an end, the next Auburn head basketball coach will be Chuck Person.
Of course, the idea of Person becoming head coach is preposterous. Not long ago, the idea of Pearl needing a replacement would've been nonsense, too, but things have changed on the Plains.
Short of some mighty fancy lawyering, the fired Person will never be able to return to his old school without a clever disguise. From the moment the feds fingered Auburn's associate head coach in an alleged bribery and conspiracy scheme that touched college basketball from coast to coast, a larger question loomed.
What would it mean for Pearl?
Would his potential liability be limited to the NCAA's head coach responsibility legislation, which is emphasized in his Auburn contract? Would FBI, NCAA and in-house investigations dig up anything beyond the original charges of Person taking bribes to steer Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy to a financial adviser while sharing some of that money with their mothers?
Would Auburn stand behind its head coach?
On Thursday, Pearl tried to make his regular press conference before Friday's season opener seem as normal as possible, but there's nothing normal about Auburn basketball at the moment beyond its familiarity with self-inflicted drama. AL.com sources familiar with the situation have said that Pearl's on thin ice and the ice may be cracking beneath his feet.
When ESPN reported Wednesday evening that, according to its sources, Pearl's job may be in jeopardy because he was "refusing to cooperate" in Auburn's internal investigation, it may or may not have been a completely accurate appraisal of the situation. It did seem to be a clear shot across the coach's bow.
Pearl's camp would have nothing to gain by leaking word of his own alleged insubordination. Auburn would, if it were interested in floating a trial balloon to try to influence public opinion before the eventual dismissal of a popular head coach.
In Thursday's press conference, Pearl wouldn't address the notion that his job may be in jeopardy, but there are people close to Auburn who believe that the relationship between him and the administration is near the breaking point.
Given that the season begins Friday night in the Auburn Arena against Norfolk State, it would seem incumbent upon the university to correct any public misconception about Pearl's standing with his employer. To this point, the university has said nothing, using the ongoing federal investigation as a justification for its silence.
That's unfair to the staff, the players and the fans who still believe Pearl will find a way to make Auburn basketball relevant, despite the disappointing results of his first three seasons.
This situation goes beyond the traditional friction between the Auburn basketball coaching staff and the Auburn compliance department that goes back to the days of Cliff Ellis at least. Tony Barbee, who preceded Pearl, complained about that friction not long after he got the job.
The federal case against Person has taken the tension to a new level, which is understandable. What's harder to justify is Auburn failing to respond to that ESPN report saying the school itself has put Pearl on notice.
Unless there's fire behind the smoke. What's not in dispute is the cloud over this program, this season and this head coach.
Not long after Person's arrest, Auburn President Steven Leath expressed his belief that the only issue here was a rogue assistant coach.
"I think it says clearly that they don't think there's some structural problem or some broader problem at the university, that this was an isolated individual," Leath told ESPN. "I don't think anybody else knew. I don't think there's any indication at Auburn that anybody else knew about this."
Now would be a good time for the president to update his assessment of his basketball program and the man in charge.
AL.com reporter James Crepea contributed to this column