Jeff Burger Is Declared Ineligible by Auburn

Senior quarterback Jeff Burger, whose career is already in jeopardy for alleged plagiarism, was declared ineligible by Auburn University because a coach bailed him out of jail after a fight, according to athletic department officials.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan, the coach who signed a $700 property bond to get Burger out of jail July 14, was reprimanded by the university and Coach Pat Dye for violating National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules that prohibit such assistance being given to athletes.

The reprimand bars Sullivan from all off-campus athletic activities such as evaluation, recruiting and public speaking for 90 days.

Sullivan signed the bond after Burger had been arrested for allegedly fighting in a restaurant parking lot. Burger eventually pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed weapon and paid a $50 fine, plus $32 in court costs. With the plea, a charge of public intoxication was dropped.

Burger’s senior season was jeopardized earlier when a university honesty committee recommended that he be suspended for two quarters for alleged plagiarism on a paper he turned in for a psychology course.