PHILADELPHIA– Auburn has lost two of its best players for the foreseeable future.
Franchise center Austin Wiley, who participated for USA Basketball inhe World U 19 championship last summer; and forward Daniel Purifoy has been suspended beginning with the Tigers’ game against Division II Barry tonight, in the wake of their suspected connection with the federal complaint against assistant coach Chuck Person.
“To avoid any potential eligibility issues, Auburn athletics has decided to hold men’s basketball players Austin Wiley and Daniel Purifoy out indefinitely,” a statement from the athletics department aid.
The decision to suspend the 6-11 Wiley and Purifoy comes more than a month after the arrest of Person was among 10 people arrested by the FBI in it investigation of corruption of college basketball. Person has been suspended without pay and facing a six charges involving bribery, fraud and conspiracy and has a preliminary hearing next week. According to the federal complaint, Person received $91,5000 in bribes, of which he told a federal cooperating witness, Marty Blazier, that he gave $11,000 to the mother of “Player I” and $7,5000 to the mother of “Player 2” and co-defendant Rashan Michel claimed to give $5,000 to the mother of “Player 2.”
Wiley is the son of former Auburn All American and Olympian Vickie Orr. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23 games and was expected to start this season. Purifoy averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds and was expected to start at small forward.
We’re still waiting to see if the FBI comes down with any other indictments in this wide spread investigation that has already lasted three years.