AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Auburn won't ask the NCAA to lift the show-cause penalty against new basketball coach Bruce Pearl.
Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs says in a statement he "felt strongly that not appealing the show-cause order was the right thing to do, and coach Pearl wholeheartedly agreed we should not contest it."
Pearl is barred from recruiting by the NCAA until Aug. 24, stemming from his tenure at Tennessee. He was fired in 2011 and placed under a three-year show-cause penalty after lying to investigators about violations involving a cookout at his home for junior prospects and their families.
Auburn could have contested the sanctions before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions.
Pearl cited his decision not to appeal in 2011 because "it would lessen my position of accountability."