AU Self-Imposes 2020-21 Postseason Ban

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

I’m fine with cheating, I really don’t care 

 

but NCAA makes it seem like the more blatant you do it (LSU, UNC, Zona) the better off you’ll be. We get slapped on the wrist repeatedly after punishing ourselves? Foh 

[ellitor 33,062]

2 hours ago, lutzcammed said:

I guess the thing that bothers me, isn't this the 2nd round of self imposed sanctions?

@lutzcammedyes

2 hours ago, lutzcammed said:

Are we doing this because we know what is coming and are trying to prevent receiving this next year, when we expect to be a better team with lots more experience?

very possibly. Seems like @Tigerwas right. It looks like AU is putting in more sanctions to prevent as strong of a hammer Okie St. got which had similar violations.

[ellitor 33,062]

2 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

We didn’t recruit for a whole season as a self imposed punishment. 

@ShocksMyBrain We recruited, just no on campus visits, & it was for 6 months not a year.

[ellitor 33,062]

1 hour ago, wareagle7298 said:

So does this mean no SEC tourney either?

@wareagle7298Per the tweet in the OP yes.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

What is so unbelievable is that one of our own did this to us. We did not even buy players (LSU, Arizona) and it did not benefit auburn. All it did was benefit the coach who was fired and get us into trouble. 
thanks Chuck. Thanks for adding to this wonderful 2020. 

[GwillMac6 20,607]

F#$K PAT FORDE is all I have to say. That dude will take any and every kind of cheap shot at AU. I really have no clue what we ever did to a got damn Mizzou grad to make him hate us that much. He is OBSESSED with taking down AU and writing copious amounts of negative articles about AU. Same as Wolken. Same as Thamel. The unholy trinity.

[gr82b4au 5,568]

7 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

F#$K PAT FORDE is all I have to say. That dude will take any and every kind of cheap shot at AU. I really have no clue what we ever did to a got damn Mizzou grad to make him hate us that much. He is OBSESSED with taking down AU and writing copious amounts of negative articles about AU. Same as Wolken. Same as Thamel. The unholy trinity.

Yep. Do what I do. Don’t read anything that they post. Do not click their links. That way you don’t get upset and you don’t even care.

[DAG 33,955]

12 hours ago, gr82be said:

So you're thinking more to come?

I think the average person can see the tea leaves and understand that missing the post season may not mean much this year. However, the NCAA has done weirder things. It would be like choosing a suspension from school during the pandemic. Is it really a suspension? But if it works, smart play to us!

[chizhead 618]

9 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

F#$K PAT FORDE is all I have to say. That dude will take any and every kind of cheap shot at AU. I really have no clue what we ever did to a got damn Mizzou grad to make him hate us that much. He is OBSESSED with taking down AU and writing copious amounts of negative articles about AU. Same as Wolken. Same as Thamel. The unholy trinity.

They are getting under the table money to write things negative toward certain schools.

[woodford 3,655]

8 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

F#$K PAT FORDE is all I have to say. That dude will take any and every kind of cheap shot at AU. I really have no clue what we ever did to a got damn Mizzou grad to make him hate us that much. He is OBSESSED with taking down AU and writing copious amounts of negative articles about AU. Same as Wolken. Same as Thamel. The unholy trinity.

If you're a "journalist" it's very easy to hate Auburn. Small town, Alabama, Deep South, very white, conservative, almost private school like atmosphere, etc. Why do you think Baylor was such an easy target?

[aubiefifty 16,716]

Auburn’s ban is brilliant, but NCAA might not buy it

By Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.com

5-6 minutes

---

The problem with self imposing a postseason ban during a pandemic is it makes Auburn out to be opportunistic on top of guilty.

That’s not the greatest of looks.

I think it’s brilliant, but I don’t work for the NCAA. Chances are those guys don’t agree.

No one likes a cheat who takes advantage of an emergency, so Auburn probably isn’t winning any sympathy up in Indianapolis for bowing out of a pandemic NCAA Tournament amid an abbreviated season. Auburn’s roster is pretty young, too, so there was no guarantee the Tigers were even going to make the NCAA Tournament this year.

Auburn has been under investigation by the NCAA for transgressions related to Chuck Person’s arrest for fraud by the FBI dating back to 2017. This ban is an attempt at appeasing the NCAA, and hoping it all just finally goes away. Of course there’s this, though. Isn’t this ban kind of a gamble? What if there isn’t an NCAA Tournament this year at all?

“This was a difficult decision but the right decision,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement released on Sunday evening. “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.”

That’s an interesting way to spin a pandemic, but Pearl isn’t wrong. The players who are currently at Auburn were robbed of an SEC and NCAA Tournament last year, and that was awful. Before that, Auburn reached the Final Four while under the microscope, but who can really remember all the details? It was all so long ago.

GOODMAN: NBA Draft another reminder Bruce Pearl is building a powerhouse

GOODMAN: Betrayal at South Carolina reveals true heart of the SEC

It was so long ago, in fact, that the arcane NCAA and its shamateuristic ways are far more loathed now than any basketball team that was caught paying players. What a tragic comedy of theater for the governing body of intercollegiate athletics. Public opinion has completely flipped ever since the “bombshell” investigation by the feds and their undercover informants. The players should be paid, say multiple state governments, and the NCAA is being forced against its will to grant players the ability to benefit financially from their own name, image and likeness.

Under that backdrop, this entire investigation into multiple high-profile basketball programs has been playing out.

Pearl has plenty of history with the NCAA after being banned from coaching for three years for lying to investigators while at Tennessee. He was hired at Auburn while still under a show-cause penalty. Has the NCAA been using this current investigation to dig around the program for more infractions? Let’s hope not. Auburn basketball has never been stronger than it is at this moment with one player going high in the draft and more blue-chip recruits ready to take Isaac Okoro’s place.

Pearl has plenty of haters because he wins, but this sport is better with him in it. He’s good for college basketball, and it’s in the NCAA’s best interest to take this ban by Auburn and let this thing die. At least Auburn isn’t LSU, right? LSU basketball coach Will Wade was caught on tape talking about a “strong ass offer,” and his university slapped him on the wrist.

Auburn is getting ahead of the wolf on this one, which is what the NCAA has always asked schools under investigation to do. The university could be more transparent by releasing any Notice of Allegations it might have already received, and maybe that would help its case, but it’s understandable why Auburn has been hiding as much as possible. College basketball is a cutthroat business, and recruiting is its lifeblood.

RELATED: Young Auburn team’s identity still unformed

Is Auburn actually under investigation? Well, we have to assume, but Auburn has never directly acknowledged it. In its release on Sunday (and, by the way, a tip of the hat for releasing this on the Sunday night before the Iron Bowl), Auburn called the arrest of Person and apparent investigation an “ongoing matter that surfaced in fall 2017.”

Well played.

Better believe, though, that every team in the SEC is using news of this ban to tell Auburn recruits (and current players) that more is on the way. And you can’t hate them for that either because we all know Auburn would do the same.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He’s on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.

[NoALtiger 3,849]

I don’t think the ncaa will go for it. I mean it’s so blatantly obvious what’s going on it’s kinda humorous. Love to be wrong for sure. 

[CameronCrazy 1,058]

This is absolute BS! Until the NCAA proves that they are going to come down hard on programs like Kansas & Arizona, I would have dug my heels in and fought the NCAA tooth & nail. 

We have already done enough. Sitting Wiley for 1 year, sitting Purifoy for 1+ years, and firing Chuck Person was sufficient punishment. This violation was over $10,000+ paid to player’s moms to set them up with a financial advisor/agent once they went pro. It in know way benefited Auburn.

With that said, if the Shariffe Cooper rumors are true then maybe Pearl realizes that this year is a wash any way. So I understand trying to get it out of the way so that it doesn’t affect recruiting. But this is beyond ridiculous IMO.

[gravejd 3,269]

6 minutes ago, NoALtiger said:

I don’t think the ncaa will go for it. I mean it’s so blatantly obvious what’s going on it’s kinda humorous. Love to be wrong for sure. 

The NCAA has a lot on their hands right now. They hit Kansas and Bill Self with a lack of control charge and Kansas gave them the finger and said go away. LSU has done about the same thing with the Will Wade recordings. I'm pretty sure NC State and some other schools are in litigation as well over penalties. So the NCAA would be smart to take the easy road on this one instead of having another school fighting them over penalties. And plus IMO its a bad look for the NCAA to not except the penalty. Remember the intent of penalties is not really to "hurt" schools. The penalties are to just to punish schools when rules are broken. So the NCAA should not care if the punishment falls at a convenient time or not. If the NCAA is trying to maximize damage a penalty will cause a member institution  than that implies they are out to get certain schools. If that was the case Auburn would be insane to not pull a Kansas and LSU and tell the NCAA to go pound sand. 

[gravejd 3,269]

1 minute ago, CameronCrazy said:

This is absolute BS! Until the NCAA proves that they are going to come down hard on programs like Kansas & Arizona, I would have dug my heels in and fought the NCAA tooth & nail. 

We have already done enough. Sitting Wiley for 1 year, sitting Purifoy for 1+ years, and firing Chuck Person was sufficient punishment. This violation was over $10,000+ paid to player’s moms to set them up with a financial advisor/agent once they went pro. It in know way benefited Auburn.

With that said, if the Shariffe Cooper rumors are true then maybe Pearl realizes that this year is a wash any way. So I understand trying to get it out of the way so that it doesn’t affect recruiting. But this is beyond ridiculous IMO.

I fully agree with this post btw. I think AU should have called the NCAA bluff and fought like hell. The NCAA may not even exist in a few more years so we could have waited them out. But if we are going to  struggle anyway this season may as well give this a shot. 

[ellitor 33,062]

19 minutes ago, gravejd said:

I fully agree with this post btw. I think AU should have called the NCAA bluff and fought like hell.

Given Coach Pearl's past NCAA history & the NCAA looking into Omar Cooper we aren't really in a position to do that IMO.

[keesler 5,924]

15 hours ago, DAG said:

This is possible the smartest thing to do with Covid . I would be surprised if the NCAA is just okay with this 

IMO, the intent will be to lay down some form of punishment on Auburn, and a Covid ridden season won't be seen as actual punishment in the eyes of the NCAA.  So expect another post-season ban for 2021 + at minimum 3 yrs probation + a hefty fine and be hopeful that we did enough in cutting scholarships where they won't hammer us any further.  

[boomstick 1,315]

16 hours ago, lutzcammed said:

I guess the thing that bothers me, isn't this the 2nd round of self imposed sanctions?

 

Are we doing this because we know what is coming and are trying to prevent receiving this next year, when we expect to be a better team with lots more experience?

Honestly, I dont think we expected the sanctions to be much more than what we originally self-imposed until Oklahoma St got their punishment. I think we then started positioning ourselves to think we weren't going to get off without a similar punishment. This was probably bartered out with the NCAA. And knowing how slowly they can move, my guess is we want this over and done now so we don't have to worry about it for next year when the roster should be really good.

[boomstick 1,315]

14 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

I’m fine with cheating, I really don’t care 

 

but NCAA makes it seem like the more blatant you do it (LSU, UNC, Zona) the better off you’ll be. We get slapped on the wrist repeatedly after punishing ourselves? Foh 

How have those programs only been slapped on the wrist? They haven't self-imposed anything and the NCAA hasn't ruled on their cases yet. The main reason coaches like Will Wade and Sean Miller are still at their respective schools is because their administrations haven't removed them. The NCAA can't remove them. They can just levy punishment that essentially forces the school to fire those coaches, which may very well happen in time. But they haven't gotten away with anything while Auburn is being harshly punished. Auburn is just taking things into their own hands in hopes it earns favor with the NCAA and basing it off of a recent ruling on a similar situation at Oklahoma St.

[keesler 5,924]

5 minutes ago, boomstick said:

How have those programs only been slapped on the wrist? They haven't self-imposed anything and the NCAA hasn't ruled on their cases yet. The main reason coaches like Will Wade and Sean Miller are still at their respective schools is because their administrations haven't removed them. The NCAA can't remove them. They can just levy punishment that essentially forces the school to fire those coaches, which may very well happen in time. But they haven't gotten away with anything while Auburn is being harshly punished. Auburn is just taking things into their own hands in hopes it earns favor with the NCAA and basing it off of a recent ruling on a similar situation at Oklahoma St.

Auburn has punished themselves harshly - for all the public knows, Auburn hasn't even received a NOA from the NCAA.  We were told a couple of months ago in the investigation thread that Auburn would "lawyer up" if the NCAA tried to impose a post-season ban.  NOW we see that Auburn self-imposed a post season ban on their own.  So where the hell are the lawyers on our side?

[Zeek 16,617]

11 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

F#$K PAT FORDE is all I have to say. That dude will take any and every kind of cheap shot at AU. I really have no clue what we ever did to a got damn Mizzou grad to make him hate us that much. He is OBSESSED with taking down AU and writing copious amounts of negative articles about AU. Same as Wolken. Same as Thamel. The unholy trinity.

Bro how many times do we have to pay for the sins of one jack a** in 2017? This is ridiculous. 

[twilli13 600]

17 hours ago, Maverick.AU said:

One can hope, just really hope they don’t plan on making AU and BP the example.

God I hope not. If they did, I wouldnt get it at all. Really feel like are getting screwed by even having to self impose a postseason ban at this point. Unless theres something noone else noone is yet privy to. If we get more than this, I'm completely done with college basketball. 

[Indy 166]

19 hours ago, SCTiger2011 said:

Wouldn't put it past the NCAA to give another year out of spite anyway.  

Indiana self-reported and self-imposed back in the day when Kelvin Sampson had an issue with making phone calls at the right time.

That did them absolutely no good and the program still got leveled.  For ... phone calls.  

 

I fear all this does is make the NCAA even more determined to punish since now you've essentially admitted the wrongdoing, which means you knew you were wrong, which means you must still get a spanking.

Kansas and LSU are probably doing this the right way as it seems time-and-time again self-imposing does little more than add a layer to your punishment.

[AUApostle 7,648]

Is the NCAA using Sharife Cooper as leverage? 

i.e. self impose a ban, be cooperative and maybe you'll get your point guard back?

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

9 minutes ago, AUDevil said:

Is the NCAA using Sharife Cooper as leverage? 

i.e. self impose a ban, be cooperative and maybe you'll get your point guard back?

Seeing as how Cooper came after Person, I imagine it’s probably two different instances of...well I don’t want to use any language that wouldn’t befit the description of an Auburn man 

but bending the rules