The NCAA Division I Violations Committee announced Friday that it has sanctioned the Auburn men’s basketball program for rule violations by former assistant coach Chuck Person. The NCAA began investigating Auburn after Person was arrested for federal bribery and fraud in 2017.
Person sentenced to 10 years for sin; former assistant Harris Adler received a one-year sentence for the offence; and head coach Bruce Pearl received a two-match suspension.
The violations were first discovered during a years-long FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. One received $91,500 in bribes from a financial advisor in exchange for influencing potential student-athletes and their families to get players to commit to Auburn. Person also provides financial incentives and benefits to two families of Auburn basketball players. Pearl is punished for not monitoring Person and his actions. Adler was punished because he “failed to meet his obligation to cooperate fully in the NCAA’s investigation”.
The NCAA announced the penalties for Auburn basketball:
– HC Bruce Pearl will be suspended for 2 matches
– four years probation (2021-2025)
– “the program must reduce the total number of scholarships to two during the probationary period”
– $5,000 fine, 3% of the basketball budget– Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) December 10, 2021
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Auburn released a statement by decision of the panel.
“We are pleased that a conclusion has been reached in this case,” the university said. “Over the past four years, Auburn has been proactive and cooperative with NCAA enforcement officers and the Commission on Violations. We have been, are, and will continue to be committed to complying with the NCAA’s rules. Therefore, We accept any punishment and are ready to move forward.”
Here’s more information on the Person incident and the penalties Pearl and Auburn received from the NCAA:
What NCAA rules did Chuck Person break?
This person was arrested on September 26, 2017, on suspicion of bribery, fraud, and conspiracy as part of the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball. He was later charged with six felony counts. One made a deal with federal prosecutors to avoid trial. On March 19, 2019, he pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to bribe. He was sentenced to two years supervised probation and 200 hours of community service.
Person’s financial situation sparked his delinquency. One claims he’s working on debt after his NBA career ends. In 2016, he met with financial advisor Marty Blazer, who was cooperating with federal authorities after being charged in a separate fraud case. Blazer lent the Borrower $50,000 and told him he wouldn’t have to pay the money back if he got his players to do business with Blazer before they made it to the NBA. That person agreed, and he regularly brought the two players and their families home. One person received $91,500 in bribes under this scheme.
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The meetings violated NCAA rules. Sports department employees may not benefit from holding student-athlete meetings and their representatives, financial advisors or representatives, according to the NCAA.
“Associated head coach (Person) violated the trust of student-athletes and their families. Instead of protecting them, he purposefully brought opportunists into the Auburn men’s basketball program.” and use their influence, introducing them to student-athletes and,” the Violations Committee said in its decision.
He also gave a student-athlete and his mother a cash payment of between $700 and $800 over several months.
Auburn suspended Person after his arrest and later fired him after he was indicted. It also kept players Daniel Purifoy and Austin Wiley out of action for the 2017-18 season amid a federal investigation.
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Why is Bruce Pearl suspended?
The breach committee concluded that Pearl violated the head coach’s responsibilities by failing to supervise what Person was doing. Pearl claims that he follows NCAA rules in supervising his assistants. The Committee also found that Pearl did not ask Him important questions after he found out what He was doing.
Pearl was suspended for two games. He will miss the Tigers games against Nebraska and North Alabama. Wes Flanigan will coach Auburn on Saturday against Nebraska, and Steven Pearl will train against North Alabama on Tuesday.
Auburn HC Bruce Pearl: “I appreciate Auburn University, our leadership, the AU family, and our current and former athletes as we overcome the challenges of four years via.”
he said his two-match suspension will start tomorrow against Nebraska
– Justin Ferguson (@JFergusonAU) December 10, 2021
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What are the NCAA penalties for Auburn basketball?
This is the complete list of penalties that Auburn’s basketball program received from the NCAA’s violations committee, published on NCAA.org:
- 4 years probation
- A post-season ban is in place for the 2020-21 season. Auburn’s men’s basketball team did not play after the 2021 season.
- $5,000 fine plus 3 percent of the men’s basketball program budget.
- Official 10-year order for Chuck Person. Any NCAA member school where the Person works must restrict him from any sports-related duties unless the school indicates why he should be allowed to participate.
- A year-long career order for assistant coach Harris Adler. The same rules apply as above.
- The two-match suspension for head coach Bruce Pearl for the 2021-22 season is effective immediately.
- A break of all team records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible.
- Self-apply one scholarship reduction during the 2020-21 season. This number will increase to two scholarships during the probationary period.
- Men’s basketball official attendance decreased during the 2017-18 season. Auburn can only have 20 official visits.
- A self-imposed ban on unofficial visits during the 2017-18 season for 19 weeks.
- Self-imposed recruitment ban for a period of 20 weeks during the 2017-18 season.
- Self-imposed reduction of recruiting days in men’s basketball to 82 days during the 2017-18 season.
