Auburn Men’s Basketball Bans Itself from Postseason

Auburn’s men’s basketball program has implemented a self-imposed postseason ban for the upcoming season. 

The ban is part of an investigation into bribery charges brought against former assistant coach Chuck Person.

The athletic department, university administration and head coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement that was reported by ESPN that the decision was reached “in light of the ongoing matter that surfaced in fall 2017 regarding former assistant coach Chuck Person."

Person was arrested three years ago as part of larger investigation into corruption in college basketball.

Person was a former Auburn star. He pleaded guilty in 2014 to accepting bribes to steer players to a financial adviser. He was also accused of helping facilitate money to players’ families. 

Person was sentenced in 2019 to community service and two years of probation.

ESPN reports that Auburn is expected to be charged with rules violations by the NCAA. 

"This was a difficult decision but the right decision," Pearl said in a statement. "I hate it for our current players. They lost the opportunity for the postseason last year because of COVID, and now they will miss the postseason again. It's a two-year postseason penalty for them. However, we need to take this penalty now to put it behind us."