John Guthrie, the SEC's coordinator of basketball officials, has been replaced by long-time conference official Gerald Boudreaux, SEC commissioner Mike Slive announced Wednesday. Boudreaux will serve on an interim basis until a full-time coordinator of officials is hired.

The two-paragraph press release gave no reason for the change.

"I was terminated," Guthrie said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "I was asked to resign but I did not. You can quote me on that."

Slive said Wednesday evening, "This is a personnel matter that the conference will have no further comment on."

Guthrie's termination came a day after the announced resignation of SEC basketball official Travis Correll of Atlanta. Last week, Correll was listed in a civil action filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The suit alleges Correll and others operated a fraudulent investment scheme, which has raised more than $36 million since July 2004.

Guthrie said his termination had nothing to do with the investigation of Correll. "It's an entirely different matter," he said.

He said he didn't want to comment further on the reason for his termination but might do so later. Guthrie, who has worked from his home in Atlanta, said he had been the coordinator of conference officials since 1981.

A News Sentinel source said at least two other SEC basketball officials have been employed by Correll's Atlanta-based company, Horizon Establishment, and that other officials had invested in the company.

The New Sentinel contacted one of the officials who reportedly had been employed by the company. He said he would defer all questions to his attorney but would not give the name of his attorney.

Both Slive and Guthrie said Tuesday they were unaware of other officials being involved with Horizon Establishment. Correll did not return calls to the News Sentinel.

The Federal Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that Correll and other defendants in the suit promised investors four to 12 percent monthly returns in a bank deposit program without risk to their investment principal. According to the commission, the bank deposit program does not exist; investment returns were derived from the proceeds of other investors.