Bruce Pearl Suspended Eight Conference Games by SEC

Bruce Pearl has been suspended from coaching duties during Tennessee's first eight SEC games, the league announced Friday.

The embattled Volunteers coach will not be able to participate in practices, sit in on meetings or coach the team on game days between Jan. 8 and Feb. 5, punishment for the coach's admitted NCAA rules violation and subsequently lying to NCAA investigators.

"The suspension from coaching duties has been imposed after a careful review of the facts established during the NCAA's investigation and reported to the SEC office," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a statement released to the media. "I am extremely disappointed in the nature of the violations involving Coach Pearl and the Tennessee men's basketball program. The penalty applied to this circumstance is significant, which is consistent with the directive approved by the SEC membership in 2010 granting the commissioner authority to act in such cases."

Slive later said on a teleconference with reporters that he felt the evidence warranted suspension for the entire season, but because Pearl "owned up to what he did" a half season suspension was "appropriate."

Associate coach Tony Jones will serve as the top coach during Pearl's suspension.

Pearl has been in hot water since a 17-month NCAA investigation into the team's recruiting practices revealed several violations. Pearl later acknowledged misleading investigators.

The school announced stiff self-sanctions in September, restricting Pearl from recruiting off campus for a year and his assistants for a period of three months to a year, as well as reducing salary by $1.5 million for Pearl and by 25 percent for his assistants.

"I made some serious mistakes and for that I'm truly sorry," Pearl said at the time. "I provided incorrect and misleading information to the NCAA. ... I learned some invaluable lessons. I learned it's not OK to tell the truth most of the time, it's OK to tell the truth all the time."

The investigation uncovered a violation in the recruitment of Aaron Craft, whom Pearl improperly hosted at his home. The NCAA obtained a photo from the visit, which Pearl later lied about. Crafted is now a freshman at Ohio State.

Pearl's contract was terminated Sept. 9, the day before the coach's mea culpa press conference. He has been working under a "letter of appointment" since, which means the coach could be fired or resign at any point. Athletic director Mike Hamilton said in October that the coach's next contract would be a five-year deal.

Tennessee Chancellor Jimmy Cheek said the suspension would not affect Pearl's contract status.

"Bruce is our coach, and he's going to be our coach for many years," Cheek said a press conference Friday. "We're going to get through this adversity."

When the NCAA sent Tennessee its letter of inquiry in September, the governing body said it expected to wrap up its investigation in December, at which time a notice of allegations against the school would be released. The NCAA may choose to accept Tennessee's self-sanctions or increase the punishment against the school.