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
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,356 comments Add your comment
Barry Obama
December 2nd, 2010
3:50 pm
How bout I send a little hopey changey your way?
duh
December 2nd, 2010
3:56 pm
Schultz is a paid troll.
Money Train
December 2nd, 2010
4:03 pm
Dadddy gets $200K from a rich auburn booster, hides it, Cam claims he knew “nothing about no money” and auburn wins the title! That’s capitalism. All schools do it, so Ga and Alabama shouldn’t be complaining. They would have paid the money if Cam was available.
roterhalsdawg
December 2nd, 2010
4:05 pm
Hey Jeff, why do you consider all of this “whining”? This sleazy affair continues to have more red flags than Obamacare……
BirdDog
December 2nd, 2010
4:06 pm
Who freaking cares? All college sports are crooked and have been for a very long time, period.
jarvis
December 2nd, 2010
4:09 pm
Yo mama so poor your family ate cereal with a fork to save milk.
Killer Mole
December 2nd, 2010
4:14 pm
Get a life Dawg Mike..you are just bitter because UGA sucks this year and Auburn beat them for the 1st time in 4 years. You Cam Haters would have crucified him like Jesus, who was innocent, just because he was AU. Thank goodness the Sheriff (NCAA) stepped in and cleared him. He has handled the pressure better than most adults I know including the bitter Dawg, Gator, Miss. State, and Alabama fans…Killer Mole
jarvis
December 2nd, 2010
4:16 pm
Crucified him like Jesus, aye?
ARdawg
December 2nd, 2010
4:18 pm
Jeff,
This whole thing smells really, really bad BEFORE the NCAA McClearance. Since the NCAA declaration of eligibility, it’s like your biggest, ugliest, fattest Uncle walked into the room, slammed the door shut, locked it and let out the loudest, stinkiest suffocating reverberatting fart you have ever had the punishment of having to breathe. This same flagellation will hover over college football for years to come
Saxondawg
December 2nd, 2010
4:19 pm
No, it’s not like “saying you’re going to rob a bank.” It’s like admitting you made an actual attempt, and it failed. Seems to me you’d still go to jail.
Whiny dawg fans
December 2nd, 2010
4:21 pm
Dawg fans
Would you gals please shut up. Crying about something you have no control over makes you all look even dumber than a 6-6 UGA football team.
jarvis
December 2nd, 2010
4:21 pm
What did the Necktie to the Hat?
Whiny dawg fans
December 2nd, 2010
4:22 pm
“Seems to me you’d still go to jail.”
You mean like the UGA football team?
jarvis
December 2nd, 2010
4:24 pm
You go on a head and I’ll just hang around.
partywareagle
December 2nd, 2010
4:30 pm
I’m going to meet the Rev Cecil and Eddie Long at Magic City for some libations. Anybody wanna join me?
jarvis
December 2nd, 2010
4:36 pm
The Magic City…you mean Birmingham?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham,_Alabama
partywareagle
December 2nd, 2010
4:37 pm
nah….everybody knows Magic City in the ATL is where the fine women are….
JoeMama
December 2nd, 2010
4:47 pm
Let’s not forget that before pay for play at Auburn, CN fled Florida to JC and avoided investigation and penalties there. Lest anyone forget, it appears Butch Davis may be fired and UNC lost numerous players and is under threat for sanctions from the NCAA for what? A tutor doing papers for players. Seem familiar? Newton not only did this once but twice just for good measure. Next time you tell others to stop whining consider the whining may be justified. Your article did a nice job of spinning past the obvious – how can a recruit see no evil hear no evil when a parent is involved? They just set a whole new precedent for recruiting in the future.
JCarthon
December 2nd, 2010
4:48 pm
Just give the scholarships to students who are going to College for the academics anyway and go ahead and put the players on the payroll. At least it would be documented and legal. Well for a while, until they screw that system all up, too.
ARdawg
December 2nd, 2010
4:48 pm
Color me surprised. More AU fans ready to eat their young for a Heisman QB
Richt demotes strength coach, but is that enough? | Jeff Schultz
December 2nd, 2010
4:50 pm
[...] ♦ Stop whining: NCAA got it right on Cam Newton, Auburn [...]
gunter
December 2nd, 2010
4:57 pm
This Newton situation smells bad and I suspect it is bad. If you look at the kids history, he hasn’t been a model citizen and I don’t think he’s good for college football. Then again I don”t think you are good for the AJC.
Wayne
December 2nd, 2010
5:33 pm
There were $50,00 worth of repairs completed at Cecil Newton’s church right in the middle of all this upheaval. He church was not condemned by the city of Newman as they had threatened because the repairs were completed. His church recorded a $230,000 contribution.
aualum87
December 2nd, 2010
6:03 pm
The whole “they just set a new precedent” doesn’t fly…because NO MONEY changed hands…if a parent is that stupid to throw it out there without any money, they need more help than NCAA could give ‘em…
You UGA fans just don’t get it….if they would have ruled him ineligible, then that would have set the precedent the other way….follow me here…as a booster of, let’s say Ga Tech, I could go to Ohio State Univ and say that I am representing Aaron Murray and he wants $200k to transfer to your school, you say no, and then I blow the whistle and say that I have records of offering Aaron Murray to Ohio State for $200k and the NCAA needs to declare him ineligible…do you see what kind of Wild, Wild West we would have with boosters/fans/bogus recruiters trying to get star players from their rivals declared ineligible?? The NCAA doesn’t differentiate between family, friend, agent, etc. in the solicitation, so if they ruled Cam ineligible, then “let the phone calls and offers begin” to any of your favorite rival to get your rival’s QB ruled ineligible….it ain’t happenin…may be hard for you Dawgs to follow, but there it is..exactly why he wasn’t ruled ineligible…now live with it you babies…never seen such whining in my life…..
ya daddy
December 2nd, 2010
6:15 pm
If Cam wore a red and black jersey instead of orange and blue, he would be playing tightend and the Ugag faithful would be defending him to the hilt…..hahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaa
NYVol
December 2nd, 2010
6:23 pm
Jeff,
I would like to just remind you that the UGAg fans on herre trying to prove their point are the same ones who thought they should have played for the National Championship 2007 instead of playing Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. Logic means nothing to these inbred morons from Athens. This group of mental giants thought that they should play for the NC after finishing third in the SEC East and not even winning the SEC Championship (They didn’t qualify to go!) This same group thought the next year even though having the most difficult schedule out all NCAA teams, that everyone would lay down and they would be annointed the National Champions.
UGAg really you ned to get over yourself. To think, you recruited him to play tight end! Just like most of your players, the talent is always wasted. Mike Bobo would not have known what to do with him anyway. He sure would not have gotten thrown to that much. Orson Charles is you only tight end that sees a pass or two. You need to stop worrying about Cam and start worrying about how you are going to keep AJ Green from leaving. You will be another 6 and 6 team without him next year.
WUOG 90.5fm » Sports » The Eligibility of Cam Newton
December 2nd, 2010
6:41 pm
[...] the knowledge of the player” and get away with it. Of course, technically, as my man Jeff Schultz from the AJC points out, parents could indeed ask for money just as long as they don’t actually receive it. [...]
Chillahill43
December 2nd, 2010
7:57 pm
Uga = irrelevant period. Meow. Losers
CT in Houston
December 2nd, 2010
8:01 pm
Another reason Cam isn’t like Reggie – REGGIE TOOK CASH TOO! It wasn’t just his parents. The agent that dropped the dime on Reggie said on national television that he was giving Reggie up to $5,000 per month. Reggie’s mistake? He didn’t pay the guy back! If he pays the guy back we would have never heard about it.
Chillahill43
December 2nd, 2010
8:02 pm
We won in 1980. And in 1975 we went to new orleans and in 1954 we had a guy who played tuba and was the long snapper and and in 2010 we got Our azzes handed to us by. Auburn. Arkansas colorado and florida and…..,gawd dawgs. Get the Eff over it
Nykon
December 2nd, 2010
8:03 pm
I will tell you how this case is similar to Reggie Bush’s. They both violated the same rule. The rule that is more applicable to Cam Newton’s case is NCAA Rule 12.3.1.2: Benefits from Prospective Agents. Here, Cecil Newton (Cam’s Father) accepted a benefit (under the category of “other benefits”) from “the involved individual” (agent) who marketed Cam’s athletic ability to different schools. This is the same rule that Reggie Bush was found to have violated.
Consider the contents of the following quote from the NCAA website as “other benefits” under Rule 12.3.1.2.
“According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete’s father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton’s commitment to attend college and play football.” -quoting NCAA website, Dec. 1, 2010
Thus the “other benefits” under Rule 12.3.1.2 are the “work[ing] together to actively market the student-athlete as part of a pay-for-play scenario.”
William C Smith
December 2nd, 2010
8:04 pm
If Cam Newton and Nick Fairley had a G on there helmet? Would all this high morality exist?
CAMBO CADILLAC
December 2nd, 2010
8:44 pm
Why is it that every time I read the comments from an Auburn article there is another dumb-a$s UGA fan running his mouth about something he doesn’t know anything about? When Alabama fans talk their trash at least some of it makes a little bit of sense. Im just saying….
Chillahill43
December 2nd, 2010
8:51 pm
Oh yea i forgot to say. Uga. Pathetic football. more WAC thsn SEC
Justin O'Neill
December 2nd, 2010
9:02 pm
Nothing like using a Church as a front to launder a fresh 50K from Auburn. The paper trail will turn up.
By DAVID BRANDT • AP Sports Writer
“Records show that Newton’s church spent some $50,000 to make needed repairs, and the building meets city code for the first time in more than two years.
However, the church looked more like an old warehouse than a house of worship during a visit on Sunday. The front entrance was a locked glass door with drawn curtains, and had a giant garage suitable for a big-rig on the side. There was a dusty cement floor with a few folding chairs. A giant plank of wood riddled with nails covered one of the entryways. There was a no trespassing sign in front and neighbors said the church hasn’t been used in months. However, Cecil Newton’s name was still on the sign.”
Chillahill43
December 2nd, 2010
9:08 pm
Go d. Awful. Uga. Pathetic program. Pathetic school. Pathetic fans pathetic coaching staff
pathetic city. Here kitty kitty. Uga. The notre dame of the south.. I year of good followed by thirty years of bla bla bla. Bs
Justin
December 2nd, 2010
9:18 pm
What a complete idiot. When an killer gets off on a technicality you’re the guy saying “good”…..
JBL
December 2nd, 2010
9:18 pm
So Auburn made him ineligible because “the infraction was discovered”? But it was discovered quite some time ago! They should have made him ineligible since that time, until a final ruling came out! It’s funny how conveniently they made him ineligible a couple of days after a game to assure any ruling during that week would set him free just before the next game. If it had been me, I’d been ineligible from the moment the first news report came out (even a suspicion or a news leak causes most schools to set an athlete apart, to avoid having to vacate those game). But because they don’t want to spoil their big NC game with two schools left out in the past due to the BCS, and the money downpour it would provide, make him ineligible for a day!?!?!?!?
Special to Page 2 – ESPN | Bet 2 Fat
December 2nd, 2010
11:01 pm
[...] precipice against one of the elite programs in college football is also clearly not enough. …But listen up: The NCAA got it right.Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)Cam Newton given pass by NCAA, which is in contrast to Stoudamire [...]
Rich
December 2nd, 2010
11:10 pm
“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:
If there’s $180K on the line and your kid is the reason why you get it you better make damn sure your kid knows.
country
December 3rd, 2010
1:46 am
Wow, I never knew there was so many people that knew the bylaws better than the NCAA or the SEC. Do all of you people really think you know more that the investigators and lawyers that have been working on this? Maybe the NCAA should conduct a nationwide investigation in recruiting at every college. I bet if they did, we just might be watching Ivy League teams on tv every Saturday. All you Perry Mason want to be’s get over it, I’m sure the people investigating this have much more info than you or I. According to what they have right now, Cam is elgible, so get over it and stop acting like you know more than the people that deal with these problems every day because that is what they do. WAR EAGLE!!!
Basketball preview: Redbirds loaded to make noise – Green Bay Press Gazette | Bet 2 Fat
December 3rd, 2010
5:01 am
[...] But listen up: The NCAA got it right. – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
swgaboy
December 3rd, 2010
8:39 am
I do believe Auburn fans are about to surpass the worst of Alabama’s fan base in finding a new level of stupidity. Do you honestly think that the ONLY people who have a problem with this are Bama and UGA fans? Seriously? Are you not listening and reading what is being said around the country? It’s like 4 to 1 against the NCAA ruling. This isn’t a matter of your rival fans spewing sour grapes. This is the majority of the nation seeing this for what it is. No matter how often you bring up UGA’s arrests that doesn’t change the fact that most people – not just your rivals – look at this season as a tainted season. And worse, they’re worried about what is coming down the road for intercollegiate athletics as a whole. I suppose you don’t care because you’ve all got your blinders on and are ready to go down with the Aubie ship. Meanwhile the Newtons are laughing this up and are so ignorant that they have no shame. Like I said earlier, the bad guys win again………
meh
December 3rd, 2010
9:38 am
It didn’t hit me at first but I now know that this ruling can’t be legit. The NCAA acted to quickly. the NCAA never does anything this quickly. something fishy going on here.
Brendan
December 3rd, 2010
10:46 am
Jeff, well stated. NCAA got it right. For once. Excellent article.
ALL IN
December 3rd, 2010
1:11 pm
The simple fact here is every single one of you people acting like some major injustice has been done wouldn’t be saying a word if this was your player and your team. What ever happened to being a gracious loser?? The evidence is not there, get over it. This is Auburn’s year so face it and go find something else to whine about. War Eagle.
Rob
December 3rd, 2010
1:18 pm
To all Dawg fans: Does it just burn you that you guys had Auburn, then they came back to beat you solid? Does it burn you that so many teams around you have played for the National Championship while you have been nowhere near getting there? Does it burn that on top of possibly receiving a good amount of money, Cam most likely will have a national championship under his belt?
In short, u mad?
$cam is a Thief
December 3rd, 2010
2:38 pm
“Stolen property… check
Cheating… check, check, and check
Dad solicits money from AT LEAST one SEC school… check (by the way, why would any person solicit from one but not others)
Cam’s narcisistic self is shown weekly and applauded by school, media, and fans… check, check, check
Cam is a future V. Young or Michael Vick…”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. A time is coming where all of AU’s wins and trophies from this year will mean nothing. Everyone outside of AU has already asterisked their season, anyway. You have to look at the other factors at play here: Cam Newton’s character. Clearly, he is no saint and for people to assume he knew NOTHING about what his dad was doing and just decided to go to Auburn instead of Mississippi St. where his former coach/mentor was building a great program is ludicrous.
I understand the lack of evidence claim, presently, but a time is coming where Auburn fans will get a huge reality check.
chillahill43
December 3rd, 2010
4:10 pm
A mid level program in a superior league. Thats UGA!! Dawgs might go 7-5 in theWAC Boise and Nevada would beat yalls sorry azzez yearly.. Uga they laugh at ya not with ya. I assure you. Even the starkville stoogies know that UGA is the inferior program just ahead of vanderbilt. Hey. Dawggies. Shut . Yall suck. FOOTBALL ENVY IS A hard thing to get over
From The AD’s Desk – NU Purple Eagles.com | Bet 2 Fat
December 4th, 2010
1:00 am
[...] But listen up: The NCAA got it right. – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]