Auburn basketball: Will Bruce Pearl survive the FBI Investigation?

With a history of recruitment violations, Bruce Pearl’s job security is in doubt, whether he knew anything or not.

This was supposed to be a year of optimism for Auburn basketball. Since head coach Bruce Pearl arrived in 2014, the Tigers have become an intriguing factor in the SEC with a number of high-level prospects committing.

After a few years in the basement of the rebuilding process, Auburn was ready to make a run for a tournament bid. That is until associate head coach Chuck Person’s name became involved in potentially one of the worst scandals in collegiate athletics history.

Person is one of four coaches reportedly charged with fraud and corruption by the U.S. Department of Justice involving cash and influence steering players to advisers and schools based on brand affiliation. The Auburn assistant has been on Pearl’s staff since 2014.

It’s just been reported that Person has been suspended without pay immediately. The University has pledged to corporate fully with any pending investigation involving them. Unfortunately for the program, Person’s name likely isn’t the only one to fall in this situation.

This won’t be Pearl’s first run-in with recruiting violations with the NCAA. He was fired by Tennessee in 2011 after a number of recruiting violations. What sealed his fate was the false statements given to the NCAA about a home barbecue that several high school juniors attended.
That’s important to remember because any declaration of innocence by Pearl will (and have already been given) to skepticism and disbelief.

Let’s say that Pearl truly didn’t know anything. That’s likely not to save him, as the Louisville recruiting scandal with Rick Pitino showed. The “excuse” of “plausible deniability” was not accepted by the NCAA when they charged the Cardinal coach will failing to monitor McGee, the man in front of the scandal.

Two big factors play into Pearl’s situation: First, his previous problems with recruiting that cost him his previous job at Tennessee. I can’t think of a college coach in division one basketball that has less credibility in this area than Pearl.

The other that will be now a huge topic all season is how the NCAA will respond to not allegations, but facts about corruption in the sport. If they decide to throw the hammer down to send a message, it seems that Pearl will have to lowest chance to survive of the four head coaches involved.

If impending sanctions are coming down it will remain to see how much Auburn is committed to Pearl, with another investigation coming. Tennessee let him go after accumulating some of the best seasons in program history.

With Austin Wiley likely to be unable to play while the investigation starts and potentially others, this season could very well be over before it began. But that’s the least of Pearl’s problems, with, as of now, his job is officially on the line.

Next: How is Chuck Person involved with the investigation?

Busting Brackets will have more coverage on all the players and coaches involved so be sure to check back for updates.