GEORGIA TECH

GEORGIA TECH

NCAA informs school of ‘major violations’

ATLANTA

The NCAA has informed Georgia Tech it has found major recruiting violations committed by former assistant coach Darryl LaBarrie and a former friend of coach Josh Pastner.

The school released the notice of allegations from the NCAA on Friday. Of the three allegations, the NCAA says two are considered a “severe breach of conduct,” considered the highest “Level 1” violations.

In a statement that accompanied the notice of allegations, most names were redacted. However, Pastner’s former friend, Ron Bell, identified by the NCAA as a “representative of the institution’s athletic interests,” was said to have provided more than $2,000 in impermissible benefits to players in 2016 and 2017.

The NCAA says LaBarrie gave $300 to a recruit for a visit to an Atlanta strip club and provided false or misleading statements to the NCAA about the visit. The NCAA also says LaBarrie attempted to influence a team member to provide false information about the visit.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported the details of the notice of allegations.

Georgia Tech must respond to the allegations by May 16.

The NCAA alleges a recruit received about $664 in inducements and benefits, including the money at the strip club. The NCAA said it is a “Level 1” violation because it was “intended to provide a substantial or extensive recruiting advantage.”

The NCAA said LaBarrie’s false statements about the violations and attempt to influence a team member to provide false statements also rank as top-level violations because they “involved failure of the responsibility to cooperate and unethical or dishonest conduct.”

LaBarrie did not immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press for comment.

The NCAA classified the alleged violations involving Bell as “Level 2” and a “significant breach of conduct” because they were not isolated and were “intended to provide more than a minimal recruiting or other advantage.”

The school said in a statement that accompanied its disclosure of the allegations it would not have further comment “because the NCAA process remains open.”

AUBURN

Ex-Tigers assistant Person to plead guilty

NEW YORK

Former Auburn assistant basketball coach Chuck Person is scheduled to plead guilty on Tuesday to a conspiracy charge in a scandal that involved bribes paid to families of NBA-bound young athletes to steer them to top schools and favored money managers and agents.

The change-of-plea hearing was revealed in a filing late Friday by prosecutors in Manhattan federal court.

Person was scheduled to go to trial in June. He will be the fourth and final assistant coach from a major college basketball program charged in the case to change his plea.

His plea deal is expected to be roughly the same as that offered to the other coaches with a recommended sentencing guideline range of two to 2 1/2 years in prison. His lawyer, Theresa Trzaskoma, declined comment.

Person, former associate head coach at Auburn, was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 1986 and played for five NBA teams over 13 seasons.

In the criminal case announced in September 2017, Person was charged with accepting about $91,500 in bribes from a Pittsburgh-based financial adviser to steer clients to him when they reached the NBA. Some payments were alleged to have been arranged by a former NBA referee turned high-end clothier.

Person was quoted by prosecutors as telling one player: “The most important part is that you ... don’t say nothing to anybody ... don’t share with your sisters, don’t share with any of the teammates, that’s very important ‘cause this is a violation ... of rules. But this is how the NBA players get it done.”

Associated Press