Report: Auburn Placed Two Staff Members On Leave In Relation To FBI Investigation
Auburn has placed two staff members on administrative leave after a university investigation found the two men's actions were related to what the FBI investigation uncovered about assistant coach Chuck Person, Mark Schlabach of ESPN reports.
Video coordinator Frankie Sullivan and special assistant Jordan VerHulst were the two staffers placed on leave and the school has not released any additional information regarding why the decision was made, according to Schlabach.
Additionally, Schlabach reports coach Bruce Pearl is refusing to cooperate with the investigation and his status going forward is still uncertain. Pearl has been with Auburn for four years since leaving ESPN where he served as a college basketball analyst following his six years as the coach at Tennessee. Pearl was fired from that job in 2011 after lying to the NCAA during an investigation about recruiting violations. A decision on Pearl's future should come within the week, according to Schlabach.
The Tigers have already suspended Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, the two players believed to be implicated in the FBI's investigation into Person.
• What We Know About Each School Implicated in the FBI’s College Basketball Investigation
Last week, Person was reportedly indicted by a federal grand jury. In the FBI's complaint of Person, it alleges that he received money to tell Auburn players to use a cooperating witness as a financial advisor and to buy suits from Rashan Michel, who was also reportedly indicted the same day as Person. Person was suspended without pay in September.
The Tigers opened their season Friday with a 102-74 win over Norfolk State. Their next game is Thursday against Indiana State.
