NCAA Basketball: Auburn facing major charges by the NCAA

Why Auburn and particularly Bruce Pearl will soon be knee-deep in serious trouble with the NCAA basketball investigation targeting head coaches.

This week former Auburn basketball player and assistant coach escaped serious jail time. The bribery charge he pled guilty to was punished with 200 hours of community service. The sentence was noticeably light, indicating he may have cooperated with the FBI and divulged other names.

The FBI investigation is largely complete while the NCAA basketball investigation is in its early stages. The first move by the NCAA was a notice of allegations (NOA) against North Carolina State (NCSU) and its former head coach, Mark Gottfried. The NCAA has been unusually open in the communication of future announcements of other NOA actions against schools.

Within the next few months, five more schools are expected to formally receive NOA action. On Thursday, Yahoo Sports’ Pat Forde, speaking on The Roundtable on WJOX, said he was certain Auburn would receive an NOA.

Earlier this week, Auburn fought to get ahead of the story by issuing a statement.

"Auburn expects to receive a formal Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in the coming months.… the possibility exists that Auburn’s athletics department and/or men’s basketball team could face further sanction and penalties from the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions."

The FBI investigation proved Chuck Person received bribe money, some of which he gave to Auburn players and their family members. Several months ago, in the presentation of his guilty plea, Person’s lawyers stated Chuck “knew he was violating NCAA rules and was betraying his players, their families and Auburn.”

Auburn already has claimed Person was a rogue actor, beyond the control of anyone in the Auburn athletic department, including head coach Bruce Pearl. The problem for Auburn is this is no longer a defense acceptable to the NCAA. A new NCAA rule was written to ensure head coaches cannot hide behind not being aware of, or involved in what assistant coaches do. The NCAA flexed the muscle of this new rule in charging Mark Gottfried with ‘failing to monitor’ while at NCSU.

An NOA does not mean the NCAA will find guilt at the end of an investigation. In the past, schools could often defend allegations and receive no penalty or escape with minor punishment.

The past did not include having a massive trove of proof already established by an FBI investigation. Auburn basketball is especially vulnerable. Auburn hired Pearl while he had a show-cause penalty from the NCAA. The punishment came after Pearl committed a minor recruiting infraction. Pearl took the violation from minor to major by lying to the NCAA, persuading some of his staff members to lie to the NCAA, and trying to persuade a recruit’s father to lie to the NCAA.

Auburn hired Pearl anyway, in near defiance of the NCAA, and implying the school was not bothered by rules-breaking in NCAA basketball.

Some Alabama basketball fans longed for Pearl before he was hired by Auburn. This fan is pleased the University of Alabama had no interest in Mr. Pearl.

Increasingly, it appears the NCAA is serious about cleaning up the cheating in NCAA basketball. It is reasonable to conclude the NCAA will not treat a repeat offender lightly. Auburn basketball and Bruce Pearl could be in very big problem. They have no one to blame but themselves.