Auburn will be without two of its three best players indefinitely.
Center Austin Wiley and forward Danjel Purifoy will sit, beginning with Thursday's exhibition with Division-II Barry, amid 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 Danjel Purifoy out indefinitely," a statement from Auburn athletics read. "Because this is related to an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."
The decision to sit Wiley, a 6-foot-11 center, and Purifoy, one of Auburn's best shooters, comes more than a month after Person was among 10 people, including four assistant coaches, arrested by the FBI in its investigation of college basketball.
Person, who is suspended without pay, is facing six charges involving bribery, fraud and conspiracy and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for next week. According to the federal complaint, Person received $91,500 in bribes, of which he told a federal cooperating witness, former Pittsburgh-based financial advisor Marty Blazer, that he gave $11,000 to the mother of "Player-1" and $7,500 to the mother of "Player-2" and co-defendant Rashan Michel claimed to give $5,000 to the mother of "Player-2."
Attempts to reach Vickie Orr, Wiley's mother and a former Auburn women's basketball star, and Waukesha Williams-Blevins, Purifoy's mother, have been unsuccessful.
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Wiley, a Hoover native who attended Spain Park High School before transferring his senior season, averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 23 games last season and was expected to start at center this season.
Purifoy, a Centreville native, averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 29 games last season and was expected to start at small forward this season.
Their absence deals a devastating blow to an Auburn team that was hoping to vie for an NCAA Tournament bid this season, which would be the program's first since 2003, as Wiley is a potential first round NBA draft pick and coach Bruce Pearl lauded Purifoy as the team's "best pro" prospect two years ago. Two weeks ago, Auburn was picked to finish 9th in the SEC in a preseason media poll.
Auburn offered full refunds to season-ticket holders following Person's arrest and approximately 200 fans sought them, though coach Bruce Pearl said they were later resold. An Auburn ticket office representative said refunds were still available Thursday.
"Auburn Athletics is committed to serving the needs of our fans," a statement from the department said. "As has been the case for the past several weeks, those fans who wish to return their full men's basketball season tickets can do so prior to the start of the regular season by reaching out to the Auburn ticket office at 855-282-2010."
Auburn opens the regular season against Norfolk State on Nov. 10.
Since Sept. 29, all Auburn players have practiced with the exception of Wiley, who was recovering from a "stress injury" to his left leg and was wearing a walking boot until last week.
Though Auburn University president Steven Leath told AL.com last month the school had "a pretty good indication" who the players involved were, Pearl maintained he was unaware of their identities until altering his stance last week, acknowledging he had "suspicions," but was not certain.
Since Person's arrest, no Auburn players have been available to speak publicly with the exception of juniors Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer during the SEC Basketball Tip-Off event in Nashville.
On Wednesday, Purifoy posted a photo to Instagram that showed him at Madison Square Garden when Auburn played Boston College last season.
"Your time coming 3 just keep grinding they can't count you out forever. #(moneybag)season18 #letthemsleep" Purifoy wrote with the image.
It was during that Dec. 12, 2016, trip to New York when Person and "Player-1," who is believed to be Purifoy based on identifying information and Wiley not being at Auburn yet, met with Blazer in a hotel, according to the complaint. Person said he and Blazer would "figure out something to give (Player-1) every month" and referenced meeting with the player's mother, according to the complaint, which states Blazer gave Person $15,000 in cash, outside of the presence of "Player-1," during that meeting.
James Crepea is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JamesCrepea.