| | ATLANTA -- An NCAA committee rejected an appeal Friday by Auburn star Chris Porter, ending his college career because he admitted taking $2,500 to help his mother.
Porter claimed he didn't know the money was being routed from an agent, but his explanation was rejected by a reinstatement subcommittee made up of five officials from other schools.
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Tigers run out of time
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ATLANTA -- Auburn didn't have enough games left in its season to save senior
all-American Chris Porter.
Auburn faculty representative Dennis Wilson told ESPN.com the range of
penalties for players accepting money from an agent runs from 10 games to a
half season to a full season.
"That wasn't a possibility because of the time frame," said Auburn
athletics director David Housel after the NCAA refused Porter's eligibility
for a second time this week -- this time for a final time. Porter admitted
that he accepted $2,500 from a representative of an agent.
Wilson said Auburn asked for Porter's reinstatement for the SEC and/or
NCAA Tournament on the basis that he was honest in his admission, also stressing that Porter claimed he didn't know that the person he accepted the money from was an agent.
The person named in Auburn's report is believed to be Nate Cebrun.
Housel said he couldn't divulge the information, because the report has been
turned over to the state's attorney general for possible prosecution under
Alabama law. But he said the names had already been reported.
Cebrun told ESPN.com last week that he knew the money was wired to
Porter from Colleen Priess, a woman he knew in Las Vegas. Cebrun said he was
in Alabama in January to meet with former Auburn forward David Hamilton, who
has since left the team. Hamilton, Porter's roommate earlier this season,
knew Cebrun from his native California. Cebrun was involved in the notorious
Florida State Foot Locker theft incident earlier in the '90s.
Cebrun denied that he gave Porter any money. Porter said he needed
the money to help his mother, who was going to be evicted from her home. But
ESPN sources said Porter's mother wasn't going to be evicted.
Even though Porter admitted taking the money, Auburn was hoping for leniency. But the
NCAA informed Auburn that any dealings with agents or their emissaries
carry a heavy penalty.
"The fact that this happened at this time of the year made it
difficult for us," Housel said. "We had no options (to negotiate a fixed
number of games on a suspension)."
Auburn suspended Porter on Feb. 27, prior to the Tigers' game at
Florida. The Tigers lost three straight without Porter heading into the SEC
tournament.
--Andy Katz, ESPN.com
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"I am very sorry for what I did," Porter said in a statement. "I think the verdict was a little too harsh, but I admit I was wrong,"
Porter, a preseason All-American and the 1999 Southeastern Conference player of the year, pleaded his case in a teleconference with the subcommittee about four hours before the Tigers met Florida in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.
Porter participated in the call from Auburn with his father by his side. Auburn athletic director David Housel said the call lasted 45 minutes and, after Auburn officials detailed the basis of their appeal, the committee asked the star forward "some very direct questions."
"We believe he was as truthful as truthful could be," Housel said 30 minutes before the Tigers tipped off. "He could have stonewalled and stonewalled but he did exactly what the NCAA tells you to do -- he told the truth and he got no relief."
Porter, who averaged a team-high 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, was declared ineligible on Feb. 27, hours before the Tigers played at Florida. Auburn lost all three regular-season games after Porter's rules violation was discovered.
Housel, coach Cliff Ellis, university president William Muse and several other school officials also participated in the conference call.
"It has been an honor and pleasure to coach Chris Porter. He provided a lot of great moments for Auburn and the nation," Ellis said. "I was hoping his cooperation would provide some leniency in this matter."
Housel said he was not permitted to discuss what was in the report Auburn submitted to the NCAA because Alabama Attorney General Bill Pryor was considering legal action in the case. Under the state's sports agent regulatory law, a player or agent can be prosecuted. A conviction is punishable by a maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Housel said he didn't know if Pryor was considering prosecuting Porter, and the attorney general did not immediately return a call for comment.
Housel did, however, say "there were no surprises in the report."
According to news reports, Porter got the $2,500 after a meeting with Nate Cebrun of Las Vegas, a middleman for sports agents. The meeting was arranged by David Hamilton, Porter's roommate until he left the team last month and who knew Cebrun through summer league basketball.
An investigation determined Cebrun was working for a registered sports agent when he had the money sent to Porter through two money orders to an Auburn grocery store.
The school has refused to disclose the name of the sports agent.
Porter said he took the money to prevent his mother from being evicted from her rural Alabama home because she had been having severe financial difficulties since losing her job in December.
Auburn filed a report Monday with the NCAA recommending a four-game penalty, which would have run through the first game of the SEC tournament. The NCAA rejected the school's plea, sending the case to the reinstatement subcommittee.
"Had we had more games, there might have been some possibility of him coming back," Housel said. "But at this point of the season, there was just no way."
Had the NCAA reinstated Porter, he would have been eligible as soon as he repaid the $2,500. Housel said he didn't think Porter had paid the money back.
Porter, a 6-foot-7 forward, was one of 22 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award given to the nation's top player.
The Tigers (21-8) will be invited to the NCAA tournament, but their seeding is likely to be much lower than expected because of a four-game losing streak prior to Friday and the loss of their top player.
Ellis told the team of the NCAA's ruling on the bus on the way to their game against Florida. | |
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