Chuck Person Breaks Silence on NCAA Scandal and Auburn’s Success
Seven years ago, former Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person was arrested for accepting $91,500 in bribes to steer players toward an undercover agent posing as a representative. He pleaded guilty in 2019 to conspiracy to commit bribery but has remained silent about the case—until now.
In a recent call with Sportico, Person spoke publicly for the first time since his sentencing. He shared his pride in Auburn’s basketball program and announced plans to attend the team’s Sweet 16 matchup against Michigan. “I feel like I had a hand in revitalizing the program,” he said. “We brought in a great bunch of kids, with great talent and great character.”
Auburn, the No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament, finished the regular season with 29 wins. They defeated Alabama State and Creighton to reach the Sweet 16, positioning themselves for what could be their most successful season under coach Bruce Pearl.
Person revealed that he attended Auburn’s summer basketball camp with one of his club team’s players. Pearl invited him to return to campus for a home game, but Person declined. “I still feel some kind of way,” he admitted, though he emphasized that he harbors no resentment toward Auburn or Pearl. “I still bleed orange and blue.”
An Auburn spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
From College Star to Scandal
Nicknamed “The Rifleman,” Person was an All-American at Auburn in the 1980s and set the school’s scoring record. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, earning the equivalent of $46 million today, but financial struggles led him down a troubling path. His lawyers cited excessive spending, high-interest loans, and costly alimony as factors that left him broke by the mid-2010s.
Pearl hired Person in 2014 as his top assistant, believing his experience made him a strong candidate for a future head coaching job. However, that trajectory ended abruptly in 2017 when Person was arrested and later fired. He received a 10-year NCAA show-cause penalty, banning him from college coaching, along with four years of probation.
Despite the scandal, Auburn thrived. The team made the NCAA tournament that season for the first time in 15 years and reached the Final Four the next year.
Life After the Scandal
Now, Person runs CP Next Level Academy, an online-degree basketball high school in Georgia, and leads a grassroots club team, Team Person. He recently secured sponsorships from Shaquille O’Neal and Reebok. His academy finished the season ranked No. 35 nationally, and several players have received Division I offers.
Meanwhile, the impact of the college basketball bribery probe has come under scrutiny. Several coaches implicated in the scandal have returned to high-profile jobs, and the NCAA has significantly loosened restrictions on player payments. Christian Dawkins, a central figure in the case, called the investigation “a crock of s—t” in an interview last year.
Person declined to discuss the legal case but remained positive about Auburn:s future. “I’m not surprised by their success,” he said. “This thing has long legs.”
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