Auburn men's basketball receives 4-year probation, Pearl two-game suspension for Person scandal
Dec. 10—Auburn finally received news of its punishment from the Chuck Person scandal.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions placed the Auburn men's basketball program on four years' probation and head coach Bruce Pearl will be suspended for two games, it was announced on Friday.
Auburn must also reduce its scholarships by two during the probation and will receive a $5,000 fine plus 3% of the men's basketball budget.
There is no additional postseason ban. The Tigers had already self-imposed a one-year postseason ban for the 2020-21 season in November 2020.
Pearl will begin serving his two-game suspension Saturday against Nebraska. He'll also miss Tuesday's game against North Alabama.
The Tigers are currently 7-1 and ranked No. 18 in the AP poll.
The ruling comes more than four years after Person, a former assistant coach, was arrested and charged in September 2017 with accepting bribes from a financial advisor to steer pro prospects to an agent. The financial advisor was working as an informant for the federal government. It was part of a wide-ranging FBI investigations into college basketball.
Person was convicted of his charges and in 2019, was sentenced to community service and two years of probation.
He was fired from Auburn in 2017.
"We are pleased that a conclusion has been reached in this case," Auburn said in a statement. "For the last four years, Auburn has been proactive and cooperative with the NCAA enforcement staff and Committee on Infractions. We have been and will continue to be committed to NCAA rules compliance. As such, we accept all penalties and are ready to move forward."
Person, who starred at Auburn and played in the NBA, received a 10-year show clause. An unnamed Auburn assistant received a one-year show clause.
Pearl, meanwhile, is the first head coach to be penalized related to the federal investigation.
It's the second time he's been penalized by the NCAA. Pearl was given a three-year show clause in 2011 after he allegedly misled investigators about Tennessee's impermissible contact with recruits while coaching the Vols.
Auburn hired Pearl, who is 145-93 in eight seasons with the Tigers, before the show clause expired.
"We respect the NCAA peer evaluation process and appreciate the panel recognized we took meaningful and contemporaneous penalties," Pearl said in part of a statement released by the university. "It is time to put this behind us."
David Glovach can be reached at david.glovach@timesdaily.com or on Twitter @DavidGlovach
