March 12, 2000 1:55 PM AP

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) A Las Vegas lawyer registered with the NBA as a sports agent is responsible for giving Chris Porter the $2,500 that cost the Auburn star his eligibility, The Birmingham News reported Sunday.

Auburn officials determined that Robert J. Walsh routed the money through middleman Nate Cebrun, the newspaper said, citing two sources close to the program.

Auburn identified Walsh in a report it has turned over to the NCAA, the newspaper said. Auburn athletic director David Housel declined comment on the university report, which he said will not be public until state Attorney General Bill Pryor decides whether to prosecute under the state's sports agent law.

Cebrun was working for Walsh when he met Porter at an Auburn hotel on Feb. 2 and later sent him two money orders totaling $2,500, the newspaper said. The money orders were sent to an Auburn grocery store, where Porter had to show identification to pick them up.

Cebrun could not be located for comment, and messages for Walsh left Sunday by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

Porter, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, was suspended by Auburn on Feb. 27. After a 10-day investigation, the NCAA refused to reinstate the Tigers' leading scorer. An appeals committee upheld that decision on Friday.

Housel also said the Southeastern Conference was investigating Porter before the school even knew there was a problem. He said an Auburn fan informed him of the possible infraction, but the SEC called him a day or so later to confirm it.

"The SEC had to have gotten it before us because they were pretty far along in their investigation, and we were just in the beginning stages," Housel said.

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