With an FBI investigation looming, Auburn’s basketball team is ripe for some taunting. One of those taunts came on Saturday, when Florida fans threw money at Tigers’ players. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is not taking any chances.
While the sum is laughably small, Pearl noted that his program reported itself.
“It was real money, and I think there’s $5 or $6 that are out there, and because you guys know we’re compliant, we’ve actually turned that money over to compliance,” Pearl said per Tom Green, AL.com. “Really. I don’t know, it was five or six bucks, but our people have the money. I don’t know what they’re going to do with it, probably give it to charity, but we’ve already self-reported.”
Even for a program under scrutiny, this probably seems a bit over the top. But it’s hard to figure out what kind of things the NCAA might use against the Tigers (or any other program).
While it’s easy to chuckle at a sum that might buy a player a couple of Big Macs, the better safe than sorry approach seems like the right one.