Auburn assistant coach Ira Bowman at practice March 12, 2019 inside Auburn Arena.

NASHVILLE — Auburn assistant coach Ira Bowman has been suspended indefinitely in the fallout of federal testimony the coach was a participant in a scheme that led to bribes to get a player on the basketball roster at the University of Penn in 2015.

Bowman will not coach in the SEC Tournament and perhaps beyond. The Tigers open SEC Tournament play Thursday in Nashville.

“As we continue to gather information regarding a situation that recently arose, it is important that we be thorough and proactive, yet prudent and cautious," Auburn athletics released in a statement Wednesday. "Therefore, Ira Bowman will not coach or participate in any responsibilities with the men’s basketball program until we fully assess all the issues.”

The news of Bowman's alleged involvement in a bribery scheme came to Auburn's attention Monday after federal testimony by former Penn head coach Jerome Allen was released. The testimony was made last week in a federal bribery trial of a Florida healthcare executive, according to Philly.com.

"We are aware fo the reports that are out there and currently were and our administration are gathering facts, and until we know more it would be premature for me to comment further, so therefore I will not be answering questions regarding this," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Tuesday. Pearl maintained his stance Wednesday, deferring all questions about Bowman to the statement released Wednesday by Auburn.

UPDATE (2:44 p.m.): Bowman will be paid by Auburn during his leave, a source tells Auburn247.

Allen admitted Friday he accepted about $300,000 in bribes from Philip Esformes to get his son, Morris, on the Quakers' basketball team. Allen testified Bowman, then an assistant at Penn, knew of the scheme and was later involved after Allen was fired as head coach in 2015. The payments allegedly stopped after Morris left the team when it became clear he would be cut from the roster under the new head coach, Steve Donahue.

Bowman was hired away from Penn by Auburn in July 2018 to replace Chuck Person, who was fired from the staff following an arrest in the fall of 2017 on six federal bribery and fraud charges tied to alleged payments made to the families of Auburn players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy. Person is scheduled to face trial in June.

Allen testified Bowman suggested a separate bank account be set up for the bribes from Esformes. Allen said he gave Bowman a debit card for the account receiving the bribery money.

“We were extremely disappointed to learn that Jerome Allen, former head men’s basketball coach at Penn, accepted payments to recruit a potential student-athlete to Penn and concealed that conduct from the Athletic Department and University administration," Penn's athletics department said in a statement released Monday to Philly.com

“Until Jerome’s testimony last week, we also were unaware that former assistant men’s basketball coach Ira Bowman had any relevant knowledge of the matter. The University has been cooperating fully with the government and the NCAA so that the matter is appropriately redressed.”

Allen pleaded guilty to bribery charges in October and he said in the trial Friday he is facing up to 10 years in prison, according to Philly.com. The government is seeking a lighter sentence, Allen testified.

The government was investigating Philip Esformes, who was ultimately charged for filing $450 million worth of false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services related to bribes for doctors.

Details of Esformes allegedly bribing Penn's head coach was a subplot to the initial investigation, which now has caught the attention of Penn and Auburn. The alleged bribes were captured on wiretaps during the much larger investigation into Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

*** Try us FOR FREE for 7 days and get the latest Auburn recruiting and team scoops ***

*** Get FREE Auburn breaking news in your inbox ***