re: #tAuburnBasketball Thread

AUBURN, Ala. - The ongoing saga that is Auburn men's basketball is not a story of heroes and villains. It’s an awful mess that has coaches, administrators and players caught in a whirlwind that they don’t seem to be able to escape.
President Steven Leath, barely four months on the job, is trying to get the situation under control and complete an NCAA-mandated investigation into the Auburn program. Basketball coach Bruce Pearl and his assistants say they are following the advice of lawyers in refusing to be interviewed, even on a limited basis.
Leath has told Pearl more than once that he wants him to remain as Auburn’s basketball coach this season and beyond, but Pearl has not met deadlines to agree to an interview. The standoff continues.
Sophomores Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy still await word on when or if they will be allowed to play, though indications are Wiley could soon be turned loose. Wiley has already been to New York to talk with FBI officials. Purifoy, we are told, was there on Tuesday. Two support staffers have been suspended.
It all started, of course, on Sept. 26 when former associate head coach Chuck Person was arrested by the FBI on bribery and corruption charges. Person allegedly talked to an undercover agent about getting money for himself and the families of two players.
That was the first step in a sequence of events that threatens the very viability of Auburn basketball.
Ten people were arrested as a result of the FBI investigation, which continues still. Person was one of four assistant coaches. The others were Oklahoma State’s Lamont Evans, Southern California’s Tony Bland and Arizona’s Emmanuel Richardson. The six others arrested included three people associated with professional managers and financial advisers, along with three employees at an athletic apparel company that allegedly paid top high school recruits in exchange for commitments to specific schools.
After the arrests, the NCAA Board of Governors and Board of Directors voted to create a new commission on college basketball.  On Oct. 11, programs across the country received an NCAA document entitled “Memo From Board of Directors and Board of Governors.”
“The Board of Directors agreed to require all Division I institutions to examine their men’s basketball programs for possible NCAA rules violations, including violations related to offers, inducements, agents, extra benefits and other similar issues,” the memo read.
It also mandated that “each institution also look at the conduct of its men’s basketball coaching staff and administrators to ensure their compliance with the NCAA rules. The impact of inappropriate behavior by coaches and administrators can be devastating to student-athletes and may violate institutional obligations under the rules.”
Auburn and its lawyers commenced their investigation. They interviewed the players on the team. They confiscated coaches’ university computers and cell phones. They sought to interview Pearl and his assistants. Citing advice of counsel, they refused, saying they would not consent to interviews as long as the FBI investigation is in progress.
And that’s where it stands.
Similar situations seem to have been avoided at other places.
According to published reports, Arizona head coach Sean Miller has cooperated with the school’s internal investigation. Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said he’s following the leadership of his athletic director and president. USC head coach Andy Enfield has not commented.
Pearl and Leath have had conversations. Leath has told him more than once that he wants him to be Auburn’s basketball coach this season and beyond. But there has been no interview process. Most conversations have been between lawyers.
In the final analysis, Auburn had no choice but to start an internal investigation. Interviewing coaches would clearly be part of any such investigation. Pearl and his assistants apparently feel they would be putting themselves at risk and won’t talk.
When will it be resolved? Will it be next week? Next month? The end of the season? Ever? No one can say for sure, but with each passing day it seems more likely that it won’t end well for Auburn basketball.
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There is significant amount of misinformation swirling around about how things happen and why things happen. Here is how it works:
The first thing to remember is that the most important part of the NCAA enforcement process is self-policing by member schools. That is not only expected, it is required in the rulebook.
Unless an NCAA investigation has come to an end, the NCAA doesn’t “clear” anyone in such situations. Nor does it declare anyone ineligible. What it will do is recommend, if there is strong evidence, that a player be held out. A program is free to ignore that advice, but none do. That’s asking for a lack of institutional control charge. If a school declares a player ineligible, it can immediately request his eligibility be restored.
Just because the NCAA does not recommend a player be held out does not mean it is saying he did nothing wrong. It is up to the school to determine that. If it turns out the player shouldn’t have been playing, the school will pay a serious price, regardless of what the NCAA did or didn’t recommend.
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The NCAA does not tell coaches they should talk or not talk to university officials or lawyers, though in the event of an NCAA investigation, refusing to talk with investigators can be used as evidence of guilt.
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The FBI’s involvement with Pearl or anyone else at Auburn is related only to the charges against Person. The FBI has no interest in whether NCAA violations occurred. NCAA violations are not crimes.
Author
Phillip Marshall @Auburn247