Stop whining: NCAA got it right on Cam Newton, Auburn
Cam Newton can go ahead of celebrate. The NCAA ruled that he and Auburn are in the clear.
Let me start this by declaring that I’m as cynical as the next person — OK, perhaps a little more — and I’m absolutely convinced there was a second gunman in the grassy knoll and there’s something about Area 51 that the government is not telling us.
But listen up: The NCAA got it right.
It could not suspend Cam Newton based on he whispered/he whispered.
It could not place Auburn on probation based on the fact the father of its star player admitted that he solicited money from ANOTHER school.
It could not significantly punish any athlete or institution based on what we all THINK must have happened simply because that’s what our suspicious mind tells us.
This whole saga has been one of the strangest NCAA investigations I can remember, in part because the athlete’s current school (Auburn) never was even connected to the allegations.
I know. Our head tells us: It’s Auburn. It’s the SEC. It’s big-time college football with big-time shenanigans. We’ve been exposed to so much of it in the past that we’ve come to believe that every player, coach, administrator and booster have been have been tainted. This story is even better than most because it involved a father allegedly pimping his kid . . . and he’s a minister!
At some point, you expected a Kardashian to show up on Toomers Corner.
But take a breath and, just for a moment, follow me through the levels of this thing. Then I’ll address why I don’t believe this can be compared to other recent cases, including the one at USC and A.J. Green’s suspension:
♦ Question: Did Cecil Newton, Cam’s father, solicit money from Mississippi State for his son’s services? Answer: Yes. INFRACTION.
♦ Question: Did Cam Newton know his father solicited an offer? Answer: Based on a lack of evidence, no. (If you want to assume otherwise, fine. But let’s just say I’m aware of situations where children did not know of things their parents did. Whether you consider that a longshot or not, the bottom line is that it can’t be proven.)
♦ Question: Did Cecil Newton receive money? Answer: Based on a lack of evidence, no.
♦ Question: Did Cam Newton receive money? Answer: Based on a lack of evidence, no.
♦ Question: Did Cam or Cecil Newton solicit an offer from Auburn? Answer: Based on a lack of evidence, no.
♦ Question: Did Cam or Cecil Newton receive money from Auburn. Answer: Based on a lack of evidence, no.
That’s it. There’s nothing else.
Now, should the NCAA continue to investigate this thing and discover that somebody in the Auburn athletic department or a big-bucks booster slipped a fat envelope under Cam’s door or paid for new floors and sheetrock in Cecil’s new church, then all bets are off.
But that’s not where we are right now.
Now, as for comparing Newton to other cases, I’ve been hearing from USC and Georgia fans all day and night and reading comments on line from various stunned officials, including USC athletic director Pat Haden. But this case is so not those cases. Consider:
♦ Newton vs. USC: Really? Fact: Reggie Bush’s parents received thousands of dollars in benefits from an agent. They lived in a home rent-free for one year. A USC assistant coach, Todd McNair, was tied directly to the case when the NCAA ruled he had knowledge of Bush’s dealings with agents. For whiny Trojan fans to be comparing their case to the Cam Newton case is completely nonsensical.
♦ Newton vs. A.J. Green: Really? Fact: Green sold his Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000. That’s a violation, even if he sold it to you. The fact that he sold to a person that the NCAA classified as an agent increased the suspension to four games. (Best estimate: It would’ve been two games otherwise.) It has not been found that Cam and Cecil Newton received anything (or sold his Blinn Community College jersey).
♦ Newton vs. Damon Stoudamire: This is a very similar case, as laid out by SportsByBrooks, in which the father of the former Arizona basketball star was accused by the NCAA of accepting a plane ticket from an agent in 1995. Stoudamire denied knowing about his father’s alleged transaction. The father denied taking the ticket. The NCAA suspended the player for a game, then reinstated him just before the NCAA tournament. But here’s where the cases go in different directions. The agent in question, Steve Feldman, ultimately admitted he gave airplane tickets to Stoudamire’s father. The father had to reiumburse him. The NCAA believed to other penalty was warranted. Coversely, there is no paper trail or evidence of any kind in the Newton case.
Some believe the NCAA has opened a giant loophole with this ruling — the thinking being that now every dad can go out and pimp his kid to universities, then just claim the kid knew nothing about it. The only problem with that theory is — again — Cecil Newton was not found to have taken anything.
If a father puts his son up for bidding and actually accepts a payment, effectively closing the deal, it really doesn’t matter whether the son knew or not. The athlete is ineligible. It’s like saying you want to rob a bank without ever doing it.
So enough with the NCAA bashing. They got it right. You can’t convict on conjecture.
♦
Recent episodes . . .
♦ Gruden to Miami would be manna for starving ACC
♦ Falcons are winning because they’re following Mike Smith
♦ Surprise! Spurrier proves South Carolina can be a player in SEC
♦ Alabama staffer fired for mocking Cam Newton with songs
♦
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1,356 comments Add your comment
CarrolltonTrojans!
December 2nd, 2010
1:51 pm
Does anyone on this blog actually think that if Auburn was 8 – 4 that this ruling would have been the samet? If anyone thinks this is about anything but money, please spend your time getting your tickets to Qatar for the “Big Game” in 2022! That decision wasn’t about money either!
Jeff – any guess what was really said at USC once they found out about this ruling? Here is a classic from Pat Haden:
USC is scheduled to appear before the NCAA’s Infractions Appeals Committee next month. Haden said school attorneys would probably review the Newton case.
“Intuitively, it seems appropriate that we would discuss it,” he said.
I think it started with “What the…….”!
dawgfacedboy
December 2nd, 2010
1:56 pm
Everyone knows Bonds took steroids. Eveyone knows that OJ Simpson was guilty the first time. It sucks but until more evidence comes out they can’t do anything. This whole thing has been a he said/he said. Ask any attorney if they have sufficient evidence to do anything. It sucks. Someday it may come out that there is more to this story but for now he plays.
heartofdarkness
December 2nd, 2010
2:04 pm
Jeff, how do the Newtons prove a negative, to wit, no one in the family received any consideration for Cam Newton’s enrollment at Auburn? Isn’t it incumbent on those, who maintain that there were violations of the laughable NCAA efforts to create the illusion of amateur athletes competing in big money football programs, to submit proof of those violations? Proof, necessarily, contemplates evidence that meets the standard of the fact finding body charged with determining the truth of the matter before them. That standard may be higher than what passes as proof at O’Doul’s corner saloon. Isn’t that the cornerstone of the American definition of justice?
It baffles me that you can generate so much blogging traffic debating that point. Well done.
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:07 pm
So what, exactly, is to keep this from happening in the future? If I am poor and my son is a 5 star recruit, I am going to try to extort every school and then get paid by whatever school my son actually goes to. If I get caught, worst case scenario is I am only allowed to have limited contact with the football program. My son gets to play with no penalty, and I am $200,000 richer.
F*** you, NCAA. F*** you so hard.
jarvis is an idiot
December 2nd, 2010
2:27 pm
droopydawg
You really need help.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:27 pm
droopydawg
They never received $200K. Talking about it and actually receiving it are two different things. However, in this case the NCAA can’t prove either.
Let’s simplify this so you understand. I can say “I’d like to kick my boss’ a$$” all I want. If I merely talk about it, so what. Now if I actually do take him outside for a good old-fashioned, then, yes, I am guilty.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:29 pm
Basically droopy dawg, until I actually DO take him outside, I’ve done nothing wrong.
ol' balls coach
December 2nd, 2010
2:29 pm
Finally, a fact-based, well written objective blog by an AJC sportswriter. Having said that – Go Dawgs (and quit whining because AU beat us…and everyone else).
Cobb Dawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:30 pm
1) No one’s whining, only asking the NCAA to do what’s right and not just what’s convenient. (BTW, there’s still an investigation and there are loose tongues in Alabama) 2) Who “proved” that A.J. Green knew that his customer was an agent?!?! And why can’t a kid sell his jersey for FMV to anyone he chooses?!?! This reeks, but it ain’t over by a long shot. Aubie insiders know it. Stay tuned!
droopydawg....the village idiot
December 2nd, 2010
2:32 pm
all I know is I heard. don’t blame me cuz I got nothing better to do than read bathroom stalls while I clean the john.
Travis
December 2nd, 2010
2:33 pm
Nice job Jeff. For some reason, people believe Cam Newton is a great football player or had an unfair advantage because his dad solicited money. Does saying i want to kill you, warrant the same penalty as killing someone? Why hasn’t Miss. St.’s violation status been discussed? Just asking?
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:34 pm
“BTW, there’s still an investigation and there are loose tongues in Alabama”
Yeah, I’d say there are quite a few loose tongues in Alabama. That usually happens when jaws it the ground and the tongue rolls out. 28-27!!!!
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:36 pm
Nova: I am well aware of the distinction, but if the NCAA says that the key issue is whether or not the player has knowledge, then whether the father is actually paid is immaterial as long as he does not involve the player. Therefore, Cecil Newton’s only mistake was not asking for more money and not actually getting paid.
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:38 pm
Travis: no, but you may want to check the definition of terroristic threats. It is still a felony. Likewise, Cecil propositioning MSU is not nearly as bad as Cam propositioning Auburn would be, but that does not mean the former should not be a crime just because the latter is treated harsher.
FBI vs NCAA
December 2nd, 2010
2:38 pm
NCAA finds nothing, so then the FBI backs off. NOT.
NCAA finds nothing and the FBI continues to ask the BIGGER QUESTIONS: why would a race track owner, from the shady world of betting and such and already indicted for bribery with AL poiticans, be interested in dealing with some pastor from georgia?? Hmmm
FBI is bad news and the AU folks are burying their heads in the sand. USC was found out much later after Reggie Bush was gone. It will not stop until the Burea says so.
When the FBI says we are done here, then AU can breath easier. Until then, get ready and buckle up your chin straps. A track owner could post say, $200,000 worth of credit at his track for Daddy Newton and et al to bet and gamble and have some fun. THIS WAY it would not be a direct payment to the kid from AU or a contributor. See??? A track can let the daddy bet and bet on the house and surely he just might win even more money. THIS is AU’s dreaded issue and their attorneys know it.
I think that this episode will be looked back upon in 2 or 3 years as a very, very low point not only in the SEC but the entire college football world. AU will be tainted for years and years by this. Win the NC and they could care less because they live in ALABAMA’S shadow ……………..always ahve, always will.
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
2:39 pm
Thought this article was appropriate for the Ga fans on here today. Enjoy!
http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/6-traits-that-separate-winners-from-whiners/
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:39 pm
So, if AJ Green put his shirt on ebay at a reserve of $1000, but no one ever matched that reserve, then he did nothing wrong, correct under your reasoning Nova?
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:40 pm
So it’s Auburn’s fault MSU has a weasel in their midst? I do alot of things my son knows nothing about. Most parents do. It’s not out of the realm of reality for Cecil to keep Cam impervious to his actions if they were less than savory.
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
2:41 pm
That picture really says it all!
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:44 pm
Droopy….okay. I’ll play. There’s his t-shirt for sale. Until the actual ACTION of a sale and the passing of money between two people occurs, has he actually done something wrong? In the case of a “no sale”, a simple reprimand and warning is in order and back to business as usual. Now don’t get stupid and argue “murder for hires” or any other apples when we’re talking oranges.
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:45 pm
“Cecil to keep Cam impervious to his actions”
I have no idea what this is supposed to mean. My whole point is that what the NCAA has allowed by declaring him eligible is exactly what I said. As long as the father insulates the son from what he is doing (I NEVER ONCE said I thought Cam knew about it; it’s a little thing called reading comprehension), then that father can go around asking for money with no negative consequences for the student-athlete. Accordingly, what is the disincentive for asking for money from a college so long as you keep the student-athlete insulated from what you are doing?
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:47 pm
droopy…that’s why in certain sting operations money has to actually pass hands before the boys in blue pounce or they got nada. Arrests get thrown out on this technicality all the time.
Dog fans are jealous
December 2nd, 2010
2:48 pm
UGA fans are jealous of AU winning the SEC West. Some credibility here for sure.
AU fans ARE jealous of the FBI conducting an investigation into MSU AND AU. THE FBI’s issue is crime, not recruiting. Stemming from this reality ……………..is the shady dog track owner up the interstate from AU. See? Could daddy Newton have placed some $$$ bets that won ……………BIG???
THAT is AU’s problem and NOT MSU’s problem. They could have their own FBI issues. AU’s looming nightmare is right up I-85 at Victory Land Track where your dreams come true.
FBI wants to know to what level any conversations with this track owner took place with Cam’s daddy and why> This is so very simple and AU fans refuse to even acknowledge this reality.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:48 pm
Droopy, if you rob the bank to pay for your son’s college education, then he should go to jail along with you? Even though he knew nothing about it?
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:49 pm
Nova: check the definition of criminal attempt (which is relevant since the NCAA’s code and procedure mirror legal procedures. He has the appropriate intent/state of mind/mens rea and he has actually taken a substantial step in furtherance of the violation (posting the jersey), he is only unable to complete the violation (accepting the money) because no one is willing to pay. Therefore, he has done everything wrong that is in his power to control.
By your logic, if a recruit himself tries to bribe Chizik, but Chizik doesn’t pay, then the student-athlete has done nothing wrong.
droopydawg
December 2nd, 2010
2:50 pm
Nova: we are not talking about going to jail, we are talking about the definition of eligibility and amateur status. And yes, what the father does should reflect upon the amateur status when it is directly relevant to the fact of the amateur status (whether he has accepted money or not).
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
2:50 pm
how the hell does anybody on this blog know what the FBI is doing and why?
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:52 pm
“This is so very simple and AU fans refuse to even acknowledge this reality”
What reality? That the Alabama politicians at the Montgomery Capitol are all Alabama fans and that political votes were purchased for casino/gambling rights? I smell elephanttards.
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
2:52 pm
Last I heard the FBI does not comment about ongoing investigations
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:54 pm
droopy…stop while you’re ahead. You’re talking about apples again. Cam knew nothing. Auburn new nothing. End of story. Next please.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
2:55 pm
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
2:50 pm
how the hell does anybody on this blog know what the FBI is doing and why?
***********************
Because they heard it from a third party anonymous source
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
2:56 pm
Ok Nova:
what if and then this happened and I heard and they said and I think and it is not fair and the NCAA sucks and ………………………………..
Dog fans are jealous II
December 2nd, 2010
2:59 pm
For GA Fans ……………….sir, you are exactly correct. This is why AU needs to be nervous. The Bureau is involved and that was made clear about the time of the Alabama/AU game.
Gambling and NCAA sports is dynamite. Daddy has some new found money from his “track winnings” and his boy knows nothing? THIS is the core issue. Inquiring FBI minds want to know.
AU will forever be tainted, like SMU was back in the Eric Dickerson and Craig James days.
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
3:01 pm
By who?
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
3:02 pm
Please send me the link to the FBI statement that they are investigating Auburn and the Newtons
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
3:05 pm
type ncaa sports betting into google and see that gambling and ncaa sports go hand in hand
Auburn in the clear! - Sportbikes.net
December 2nd, 2010
3:06 pm
[...] a Mississippi State alum. And that is what was ruled on. Or, as it was better stated by this guy: Stop whining: NCAA got it right on Cam Newton, Auburn | Jeff Schultz __________________ doublEEsta Global Warming – A phenomenon where natural climatic cycles [...]
Dawg_Mike
December 2nd, 2010
3:17 pm
Awesome- almost 1300 hits on this blog and combined with Bradleys and Tony B’s we should have somewhere around 3000 hits and the same damn thing said 2,999 out of those 3000 hits.
great.
The Listener
December 2nd, 2010
3:34 pm
Wiretaps will out in the end.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
3:36 pm
For Ga Fans
December 2nd, 2010
3:02 pm
Please send me the link to the FBI statement that they are investigating Auburn and the Newtons
*********************
Can’t send what doesn’t exist. These knuckleheads bend the facts to fit their agenda. The FBI are NOT investigating Cam or the Newtons. They are investigating Alabama politicians being paid by McGregor to purchase gambling/casino votes. Now, unless Cecil Newton is sitting in the Montgomery courthouse, I doubt he has ANY kind of vote in the State senate.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
3:37 pm
The Listener
December 2nd, 2010
3:34 pm
Wiretaps will out in the end.
*******************
And of course YOU have them. yawn.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
3:38 pm
Dog fans are jealous II
December 2nd, 2010
2:59 pm
Daddy has some new found money from his “track winnings” and his boy knows nothing? THIS is the core issue. Inquiring FBI minds want to know.
*************************
Show us the money. Bank accounts say otherwise.
Auburn | MrSEC.com
December 2nd, 2010
3:39 pm
[...] ruling included the very important words: “at this time.”11. This writer says the NCAA is 100% right and everyone else is completely off-base. (Tiger fans… send bouquets to Jeff Schultz, c/o The Atlanta Journal [...]
Nick Fairley
December 2nd, 2010
3:39 pm
It’s my fault!!!!
YooshMan
December 2nd, 2010
3:39 pm
I have to agree with you on this one. His Dad may be a complete scumbag for trying to get money – but there is zero implication that Auburn is involved, that Cam was aware, and that money ever changed hands to begin with.
Sure it sounds sketchy – but you can’t just MAKE UP facts just because it makes more sense to us and is easier for our minds to clean up.
I am no Auburn fan – but I’m glad their fans can move on without any further worry about this kind of scandal hanging over their heads. Let’s win another BCS title for the SEC.
Nova Roars
December 2nd, 2010
3:47 pm
Let me put this one out there for you. I know plenty of college grads with pre-teen kids. I’ve been at parties where a few of the guys head off to a dark corner and fire up a doobie. Do you think they came back into the house and said “look kids! I’ve been getting high!” OR do you think they kept that indiscretion from their kids?
Jan Kemp
December 2nd, 2010
3:47 pm
Can’t we just all get along?
Vince Dooley
December 2nd, 2010
3:48 pm
Barb, honey, have you seen my pruning shears? My petunia is a little long.
SportyCock
December 2nd, 2010
3:48 pm
What about the reported phone call from Cam to MS recruiter saying “the money was too much”. Sounds like the athlete was aware to me.
The SEC’s squirming out of it’s bylaws is even worse. Rationalizing that an offer from Cecil to deliver Cam’s LOI to MS for $100-180k is not a family member “agreeing” to accept money for an LOI is ludicrous. He was pretty darn agreeable to accepting money if he was demanding it.
Per Dictionary.com:
/əˈgri/ Show Spelled
[uh-gree] Show IPA
verb, a·greed, a·gree·ing.
–verb (used without object)
1. to have the same views, emotions, etc.; harmonize in opinion or feeling (often fol. by with ): I don’t agree with you.
2. to give consent; assent (often fol. by to ): He agreed to accompany the ambassador. Do you agree to the conditions?
So, “agree with” means to come to the same views with someone else, but, “agree to” means to give consent or assent to something. Did Cecil “agree with the conditions,” as in the example above, of delivering Cam’s LOI for a sum of money??? Of course he did.
The FBI probe will uncover much dirtier laundry in time and Auburn, the SEC and NCAA will be embarassed by their self-serving decisions.
As a Gamecock I’m glad Auburn won’t have any excuses when we beat them for the SEC Championship.
Ol' Man River
December 2nd, 2010
3:49 pm
As Barney would say, you folks are having compelsions!