Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl has just announced that he will not cooperate with any NCAA investigation. He has a contractual duty to cooperate.
In addition, the ‘vicarious liability’ principle embraced by the NCAA 2 years ago establishes that the head coach is presumed responsible for any violations committed by his assistants. (Pearl’s assistant Chuck Person has been indicted for conspiracy and fraud.) If Pearl will not cooperate, then there will be no evidence to rebut the preumption that Pearl has violated NCAA bylaws.
Pearl has previously been seriously sanctioned by the NCAA, for his recruiting violations at Tennessee, and was the subject of an NCAA show-cause order after those transgressions.
Odd are that Pearl is going down, hard. And that Auburn basketball is going down, hard. Any recruit considering Auburn should no longer do so. Find a program which is not in peril of heavy NCAA sanction.
As to any current players, get out. Tell the AD that, if Pearl will not comply with his contractual duty to cooperate fully with an NCAA investigation, then you should be immediately released by Auburn from your NLI, so that you can immediately transfer elsewhere.
