The NCAA follows a familiar pattern in punishing abuse

Bruce Pearl, the Auburn men’s basketball coach, was suspended for two games on Friday and the NCAA accepted a string of self-imposed school bans over the years as punishment for a former assistant coach. , Chuck people, split cash among players.

This case is among nearly a dozen related to federal corruption investigation targeted college basketball over four years ago. Pearl escaped virtually unharmed even though the NCAA classified the violations as most serious (Level 1) and argued that he did not foster an atmosphere of compliance. He was previously given a three-year fine for good cause after lying to NCAA investigators while in Tennessee.

The infringement commission report also outlined a case involving another former assistant coach, Harris Adler, who allegedly sent money to an original basketball coach to pay tuition for a game. . Ultimately, the breach committee said the allegations could not be corroborated even though the youth team coach provided copies of a money order he said came from Adler.

The settlement of Auburn’s case follows a similar pattern. For all the confusion from federal prosecutors when the indictments were announced – “We have your book,” said the FBI’s William Sweeney – and all the hard talk about dismantled a committee organized by the NCAA, had little effect on the wealthy who reward head coaches who run the programs.

Only Rick Pitino, who was fired in Louisville, directly lost his job because of this.

Sean Miller coached until his contract expired last season at Arizona. Louisiana State coach Will Wade was suspended for the last five games of the 2018-19 season before being reinstated. Andy Enfield of Southern California was not sanctioned. So did Kansas coach Bill Self – at least not by the school, where there is an ongoing case during NCAA enforcement.

In Auburn’s case, Person – Auburn’s former star player and longtime NBA forward – was sentenced to 10 years for accepting a $91,500 bribe from a financial advisor in exchange for influencing the business. players sign with mentors when they start their professional careers. The man who transferred some of that money to two players, Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, were suspended for the 2017-18 season. Each returned the following season to help Auburn reach the Finals for the first time.

Adler, who left Auburn after the 2017-18 season while the school was under investigation, received a one-year sentence for the cause.

(Adler was replaced on Auburn’s staff by Ira Bowman, who was suspended for nearly three months while Auburn investigated his involvement in a scheme at the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, Bowman served as the assistant to Jerome Allen, who pleaded guilty to bribery to help a person apply to the school as a basketball player even though he had never played at the school. Allen testified that Bowman knew What happened. Bowman remains an assistant at Auburn.)

Auburn and Pearl said in a statement that they accept the NCAA’s penalties. Pearl will not coach her team, 7-1 and 18th, on Saturday against Nebraska in Atlanta or the game against North Alabama at home on Tuesday.

While the NCAA’s Rice Committee, which is headed by Condoleezza Rice, recommends harsher penalties for repeat and serious offenders – a 5-year ban on programs and a lifetime ban on coaching chief commissioner – basically the breach committee looked at the penalties that Auburn had imposed and said they were good enough.

The Tigers, shortly before the start of last season – at a time when the coronavirus pandemic made the prospect of an NCAA tournament uncertain – announced that they would give up playing the tournament as a penance for violations. mine. (Auburn, picked in eighth place in the Southeast Conference, finished the season 13-14.)

The school also won itself a scholarship, reduced recruitment to 20 over a two-year period, banned informal recruitment and recruitment phone calls for nearly 5 months, and did not hire. direct use for 82 days.

The only penalties the NCAA piled on top were four years of probation and a $5,000 fine plus 3 percent of the men’s basketball budget.