Auburn Basketball Scandal: FBI Investigation Exposed

Auburn Basketball

'The Shot Before Midnight: The Scandal That Rocked Auburn Basketball'

Deep in the heart of Alabama, where college basketball is religion, the Auburn Tigers soared to new heights—until a scandal threatened to tear it all apart. This is the story of betrayal, greed, and the FBI investigation that exposed the dark underbelly of amateur sports.

Prologue: The Rise of the Tigers

By 2019, Auburn basketball was no longer an afterthought. Under head coach Bruce Pearl, the Tigers clawed their way to the Final Four for the first time in program history. The future looked bright—until whispers of corruption began to surface.

Chapter 1: The Informant

The trouble started with Chuck Person, a beloved Auburn legend turned assistant coach. Person, a former NBA star, was the bridge between the program’s past and present. But behind the scenes, he was also the key figure in a pay-for-play scheme that would bring the program to its knees.

In 2017, the FBI had already been investigating corruption in college basketball, using undercover operatives and wiretaps. Person, caught on tape discussing bribes with a financial advisor, was their way in.

Chapter 2: The Bribes

Secret recordings revealed Person accepting
91
,
500
𝑖
𝑛
𝑏
𝑟
𝑖
𝑏
𝑒
𝑠
∗
∗
𝑡
𝑜
𝑠
𝑡
𝑒
𝑒
𝑟
𝐴
𝑢
𝑏
𝑢
𝑟
𝑛
𝑝
𝑙
𝑎
𝑦
𝑒
𝑟
𝑠
𝑡
𝑜
𝑤
𝑎
𝑟
𝑑
𝑎
𝑝
𝑎
𝑟
𝑡
𝑖
𝑐
𝑢
𝑙
𝑎
𝑟
𝑓
𝑖
𝑛
𝑎
𝑛
𝑐
𝑖
𝑎
𝑙
𝑎
𝑑
𝑣
𝑖
𝑠
𝑜
𝑟
𝑜
𝑛
𝑐
𝑒
𝑡
ℎ
𝑒
𝑦
𝑡
𝑢
𝑟
𝑛
𝑒
𝑑
𝑝
𝑟
𝑜
.
𝑊
𝑜
𝑟
𝑠
𝑒
𝑦
𝑒
𝑡
,
ℎ
𝑒
𝑎
𝑙
𝑙
𝑒
𝑔
𝑒
𝑑
𝑙
𝑦
𝑓
𝑢
𝑛
𝑛
𝑒
𝑙
𝑒
𝑑
∗
∗
91,500inbribes∗∗tosteerAuburnplayerstowardaparticularfinancialadvisoroncetheyturnedpro.Worseyet,heallegedlyfunneled∗∗11,000 to the families of two players—Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy—making them ineligible under NCAA rules.

When the FBI raided Person’s home, they found $5,000 in cash stuffed in a shoe box—just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

Chapter 3: The Fallout

Chuck Person was fired and later sentenced to 200 hours of community service in a plea deal.

Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy were suspended, derailing Auburn’s 2017-18 season.

The NCAA placed Auburn on four years’ probation, though they avoided a postseason ban.

Chapter 4: Redemption or Cover-Up?

Despite the scandal, Bruce Pearl survived. Some fans believed he was unaware; others suspected he turned a blind eye. Auburn’s 2019 Final Four run helped ease the pain, but questions lingered: How deep did the corruption go? And was Person the only one involved?

Epilogue: The Shadow That Remains

To this day, the Chuck Person scandal serves as a cautionary tale—a reminder that in the high-stakes world of college basketball, not everything is as pure as it seems.

Was justice served? Or did Auburn basketball dodge a bullet? The truth may never be fully uncovered.

'The FBI tapes don’t lie… but not everyone on them was held accountable.'

—The End—

Would you like any additional details or a deeper dive into a specific aspect of the scandal?

Auburn Basketball Scandal: FBI Investigation Exposed

Report Page