Another Cam Newton allegation? Sorry, I’m still not swayed
Cam Newton while at Westlake High. He was good then, too. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Another Cam Newton allegation has arisen, this one involving the quarterback himself. Citing an unnamed source, Thayer Evans of FoxSports.com reports that Newton was accused of cheating while enrolled at Florida.
The same Thayer Evans, it must be noted, had already passed judgment on Newton before his latest round of reporting. Wrote Evans last week: “Listen closely, Heisman voters: Do not vote for Newton.”
I no longer vote for the Heisman Trophy. (The AJC now precludes its writers from so doing.) But if I did, I’d have no problem casting a ballot for the Westlake grad.
Because even if he did cheat at Florida — he was also arrested there on three felony counts involving a stolen laptop — he’s not at Florida anymore. (The charges were dropped after Newton completed a pretrial diversion program.) Even if former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond was approached by someone saying it would cost $180,000 to land Cam, as reported last week by ESPN.com, Newton didn’t go to Mississippi State.
He enrolled at Auburn. He plays for Auburn. Neither the school nor the NCAA has ruled him ineligible. This isn’t to say that both parties shouldn’t go back and investigate his recruitment; it’s simply to say that anyone who seriously believes a player should be forced to sit because a charge of recruiting impropriety surfaces that doesn’t involve either the player directly or his chosen school is, shall we say, naive.
(Think of it this way: Auburn plays Alabama the day after Thanksgiving. Auburn and Alabama are — stop the presses — serious rivals. What would prevent an Alabama fan from saying to some news outlet: “Know what? I offered Newton 10 zillion dollars to play for the Tide — somebody suspend that guy now!”)
Yes, naivete cuts both ways. We can be skeptical of Newton. Heck, we can be skeptical of college football writ large. (Ask Clemson fans if they ever wondered about the recruitment of the 1982 Heisman winner, a tailback from Wrightsville, Ga.) But Newton getting arrested at Florida and being accused of cheating there in no way proves there’s anything untoward about his presence at Auburn.
If something implicating Auburn does come to light, that’s a different matter. But we cannot make the Reggie Bush leap — Bush had to return his Heisman, so no future Heisman should go to someone who might have to hand it back — because, at last check, Cam Newton is not Reggie Bush. I mean, come on.
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405 comments Add your comment
MAKO
November 9th, 2010
12:37 pm
Ah, the good old days are returning to the SEC…like the days back when UT was turning in Bama for cheating/recruiting, Auburn with a recruit/player who really couldn’t read or write, Tennessee recruiting at the county courthouse/jail and Georgia recruiting just DA idiots…Gosh this makes my day!!! ARGGGGGG
AU Fan
November 9th, 2010
12:39 pm
He did not go to UGA because they would not commit to him that he would be a QB.
He was arrested for purchasing a stolen laptop, not stealing it. This was 2 years ago.
He’s been accused of cheating at UF. Again, this was 2 years ago.
We have one guy claiming that another guy told him that he was representing Newton and that he would play for MSU for $180K. Now guy #2 claims he hasn’t talked to guy #1 in 20 years. No proof of this hearsay claim has been offered by ANYONE. The kid volunteers every Monday at the local elmentary school. Does that sound like a guy who’s only willing tp play if he gets $200K.
No doubt the kid has screwed up in the past. Maybe he’s cleaned his act up. Wouldn’t that be a good story? NONE of any of this happened at AU anyway.
Ten teams have tried to stop him so far, and ten teams have failed. Sounds a lot like someone out there is looking for new and “creative” ways to stop him.
Why don't you talk about this?
November 9th, 2010
12:39 pm
I like how schools like Florida and Georgia never take the guys who have been booted off other teams but schools like Auburn, Miss St, LSU, Arkansas, and Oklahoma are always taking them.
AllAuburnAllIn
November 9th, 2010
12:40 pm
Haters. This is all a ridiculous smear campaign. WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!
FLUSH
November 9th, 2010
12:42 pm
That’s the sound of his Heisman chances going down the drain…
Bill Toomer
November 9th, 2010
12:44 pm
Mr. Newton shouted Hallelujah!, and lo and behold, the money fell from the heavens, and the renovations to the church were completed.
Dawg '88
November 9th, 2010
12:45 pm
Let me get these things straight…you get arrested for not paying a speeding ticket, drink beer, and drive with suspended licenses and you’re a thug?
Also, Some say we just want him suspended. Nope. Just want to be treated fairly with the criticism. And we don’t fear him anyway….Hell the Dawgs have lost 5 games already and had their heart ripped out 2 / 3 times…what is there to fear? Besides, the Dawgs play well at Auburn and lest we forget….4 IN A ROW War Eag…I mean…TIG…I mean Plains……oh forget it!
Last, UGA is terrible right now with all of these arrests….Bradley and others…if UGA recruited a HS player right now who had been caught cheating 3 times and had stolen property from another student…should UGA drop him or keep trying to get him into UGA?
You know the Answer! UGA would be slammed. But Auburn did it and its ok? Some keep saying how did CMR let him get out of state? Why would we want another problem…Cam Newton who has created more serious problems alone than most of UGA’s offenders?
HYPOCRITES with stupid questions…amazing!
Shaggy
November 9th, 2010
12:45 pm
I saw you stealin that laptop.
(It wasn’t me)
I saw you taking those benjamins.
(It wasn’t me)
I saw you ridin on your scooter.
(It wasn’t me)
I saw you cheatin on your test.
(It wasn’t me)
bjohndawg
November 9th, 2010
12:45 pm
Yes, naivete cuts both ways. We can be skeptical of Newton. Heck, we can be skeptical of college football writ large. (Ask Clemson fans if they ever wondered about the recruitment of the 1982 Heisman winner, a tailback from Wrightsville, Ga.) But there is no grudge against Georgia right? Right Mark? heck you cannot be swayed.
The writers at the AJC are so desperate to write negative crap at every opportunity where Georgia is concerned. All in the sake of blogging numbers.You of course cannot be swayed from that mission.
Just another jab at Georgia by you, Mark. Funny…Newton has open suspended license charge at Florida…two years later. But he is playing at Auburn. but nothing sways you.Hell that is in the past right.Says you…. No, it is not, its still open so its in the now.
But Caleb King on another hand. Suspended license charge, and Richt has lost control of the team was the blogitcle from the AJC.Because the guy failed to show up in court because he thought the charge was paid.
Oh, look a Georgia player broke wind as he jaywalked in downtown Athens and was charged with by the police. Better write a blog ” Richt has lost control of his player’s.
SECFan
November 9th, 2010
12:45 pm
I remember in the early 90s when Florida Assistant coach Ron Zook paid off a Tennessee Assistant named Jack Sells to fax Tennessee’s plays and defensive schemes to Florida the week before the game and they caught him in the act at the local Kinkos in Knoxville. To think Florida is trying to say they are either above cheating or allowing a player to cheat in school is ridiculous.
Seems like Urban still can’t get over the loss of Tebow and every week he sees Newton tearing it up only twists the knife further. How else does this get out if it didn’t come from Florida. Sour Grapes, get over it Urban!
Inspiration
November 9th, 2010
12:46 pm
Exodus 20:3
oneofeach4me
November 9th, 2010
12:48 pm
Do some of you not know what DIVERSION is?? The ONLY way the kid could even go through it is he had to have no arrests before. period. Now did he do dirt before and just not get caught, maybe. But for him to be where he is right now after where he grew up… I’d say it’s not that bad. You want to blame him for BUYING a stolen laptop (which by the way LOTS of college kids do) but have no concern for the one who actually SOLD it to him?? He is the one robbing your house and your neighbors (@Douglas).
Oh, and C.Strickland.. yup. He sure did. He needed a laptop to buy those term papers that you are selling online. DUH! lol
what a joke
November 9th, 2010
12:49 pm
Bradley, you’re a hypocritical idiot. Keep trying to sell papers by crucifying UGA you j*ckass!
Harry from da Burn
November 9th, 2010
12:49 pm
So this is why the SEC is the best at football every year. I wish Tech didn’t have standards when recruiting athletes, maybe we would of won more than 2 games last decade.
Mr
November 9th, 2010
12:49 pm
I mean come guys lay off Mark Bradley. Do you think he ever played a game of football in his life? Look at his picture! Closest he has come to a football field is the press box.
StraightJacket
November 9th, 2010
12:49 pm
Honestly, the SEC needs to change:
(1) Kick out Vandy and Mississippi State. They do NOT fit the SEC profile: Vandy uses students as players, and Mississippi State doesn’t cheat enough in recruiting
.
(2) Withdraw from FBS College Football. There’s nothing “college” at all about the SEC.
(3) Start their new NFL “minor league” by making public and equalizing the SEC Salary Cap. Some years, it really IS hard to tell whether ‘Bama or Arkansas is paying the higher salaries.
(4) Ignore, … or even promote … the ridiculous number of player arrests from these teams. The Fulmer Cup could set up new rules to say that it is NOW exclusive to SEC teams. No use in letting amateurs compete for an award for which the SEC teams have demonstrated such dominance and professionalism.
(5) Withdraw from NCAA and let the players sign endorsement deals. There’s no reason that A.J. GREENbucks shouldn’t be able to eBay his jersey for a few thousand bucks.
(6) Have one redeeming program that the players must contribute too. Since SEC players don’t take school seriously, they should be required to document community service hours (since they don’t log any real academic hours majoring in profoundly meaningful studies like “Social Awareness”). NOTE: This should be in ADDITION TO the community service hours they’re assigned after their arrests and convictions.
Seriously, the SEC should just give up the charade of “college” football and become what they really want to be: The NFL minor league.
Dawg '88
November 9th, 2010
12:51 pm
No AU fan…he stole the laptop and then hid it. He knew he was in trouble and trashed it. Thats stealing, destruction of property, and obstruction of justice. The cheating…so what if its 2 years ago…its why he was kicked out of Uf. Auburn doesn’t think being honest and a good student who lives by the honor code is important. He also didn’t just cheat. He turned in someone else’s work…(lying) and then purchased a paper and turned it in. What an upstanding citizen?
Know this…if he played for UGA or Bama you would screaming loudly that he is a thug, should never be allowed to play again….and so on and so on. So don’t defend the criminal whom you would hate if he played elsewhere…its hypocritical.
sethook
November 9th, 2010
12:51 pm
The kid can play football at a high level so he gets a pass for whatever transgressions he may have made. Just win Baby…… Don’t throw morals into a sports discussion…
Amos Alonzo Stagg
November 9th, 2010
12:52 pm
This is all very sad, and stinks of political smear tactics. If the kid has issues at FL and left the school as a result, what is done is done. If some ’street agent’ claimed to ‘represent Newton’ and set a price for his services, let’s see the proof (Newton attending MSU might be Prosecution Exhibit A). This is pathetic sour grapes stuff. Of course none of this nonsense will go away until BCS players get paid. Seems disingenous for Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, Nick Saban or Les Miles to sell their services to the “highest bidder” while accusing athletes of doing the same.
ADL
November 9th, 2010
12:53 pm
Yes, Auburn has been on probation quite a bit in the past. Kinda makes you think they would go out of their way to make sure it doesn’t happen again, especially regarding recruits. It’s common knowledge that Auburn knew about the laptop (which he bought, he didn’t take it) and it’s a pretty good bet Auburn knew about these allegations of cheating as well. As they have said all along, he is eligible to play and play at Auburn
So, Newton isn’t a great student. It cost him his career at Florida, and now everyone knows it. Hmmmm, I wonder if that happens at any other major college athletic programs?
Chris
November 9th, 2010
12:54 pm
I am completely amazed at the level of ignorance being displayed. This is a witch hunt. The kid was WELCOMED back to Florida and left because Tebow decided to return his senior season. Some of you really need to get lives and stop living in the virtual universe judging people. He was a kid who made a mistake. He completed his program and DOES NOT have a felony conviction. Learn to read and UNDERSTAND the facts before you start assigning labels to people.
DAWG H8R
November 9th, 2010
12:54 pm
To the jawja/fla/ala rednecks that are trying to put salt in Cam Newton’s game, get a life! If this kid were at jawja, you guys would pay him too. If fla started this,you should’ve played him and not been setting the table for JOHN BRANTLEY?
This Gamecock doesn’t like AUB, but something isn’t right about the timing of this.
intheknow
November 9th, 2010
12:55 pm
Josh Nesbitt got caught cheating at GA Tech a couple of years ago, and he got off scot-free. This happens all the time.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 9th, 2010
12:55 pm
Hello
Mr
November 9th, 2010
12:56 pm
Josh Nesbitt also got caught for inpersonating a QB and got off scot-free.
Army of the GATORS
November 9th, 2010
12:56 pm
Why is everyone Judge and Jury…you fans need to get a life or get to work or get a job period.What ever happens,happens.Let it all take its course,because if there is something wrong it will surface soon enough.Coach Meyer has never brought up Newton name since he left UF.If he did,he violated the Privacy Act. Get a Life! GO GATORS
gdawginkalamazoo
November 9th, 2010
12:56 pm
Congrat to Justin Houston on his nominations this week. Maybe he can seal the deal this weekend by keeping Cam in check.
gt4ever
November 9th, 2010
12:57 pm
This is sooooo funny, all these SEC fans fighting over who has the most felons playing on their teams……. What a JOKE SEC sports has become!
dawgster
November 9th, 2010
1:01 pm
Don’t know all the details with Cam, seems like a good kid, but the one thing i do know is that when AJ was alleged to have done something the media would not let it go and the attacks on AJ on here were absurd..AJ was called everytinig from “Thug” to even worse…and at that point AJ had not had any issues, whether that was at high school or at college…so i find it kind of hypocritical for some on here who are calling out anyone that has an opinion on Cam but were some of the same ones that trashed the dawgs and AJ…also, its interesting that the dawgs did the right thing by sitting AJ down even though know one knew what the investigation would reveal…i’m not sure you can compare the two incidents, and let me be clear, Cam should be considered innocent until proven otherwise…everyone should give him the benefit of the doubt…but i will say the Auburn Coaches had better be correct in their own investigation, if they don’t sit him down…it could come back to haunt them at some point…especially if they had any knowledge at all…for me, i want the dawgs to win, but i want their best player out there…go dawgs
Scott "Phillip" Wallace
November 9th, 2010
1:03 pm
I love you losers who get on here and tell everyone to get a life. It’s all in fun you jackasses!
Take your sorry asses somewhere else.
No one takes this stuff that seriously.
WOW, REALLY?
November 9th, 2010
1:04 pm
Stanford Drive? I’m not saying any kid should be punished like that for traffic violations. I’m also not saying that he didn’t know the laptop was stolen. Sure he did! All i’m saying is that all of these stories are from his time in Florida. Did he get himself in to trouble? By all means yes! Did he make really stupid decisions? Yes he did! I’m just saying that he has removed himself from that situation and seems to be trying to better himself. Do you know him personally? Do I know him personally? No, I do not. Unfortunately sometimes I think the systems works against these kids. Just how it works. Look at Ray Lewis, he had to turn states evidence to not face murder charges . Found not guilty and he’s back playing football. Michael Vick, served time in prison, he’s back playing. I’m not saying I agree with the crimes they commited. I’m saying in most cases people deserve a second chance. So, this all turns out to be true. Auburn gets put on probation. It happens every year in the NCAA! Cam Newton deserves a second chance just like anyone else. I would hope for everyones sake on this blod, that if you made mistakes in your life, short of taking someones life or harming a child, you would be given a second chance also.
Mark Bradley: I’d have no problem casting a ballot for the Westlake grad | ATLWEBMAG
November 9th, 2010
1:06 pm
[...] READ MORE: Another Cam Newton allegation? Sorry, I’m still not swayed [...]
John Baker
November 9th, 2010
1:12 pm
Another thug playing football. You can take the player out of the ghetto, but you can’t take the ghetto out of the thug. He’s a cheat,a liar and a thief but he wins so what the hell. I hope they drop him from the team but that will never happen.
Norm's Panties in a KNOT
November 9th, 2010
1:14 pm
I think Nesbitt beat Stafford. Stafford is picking up a paycheck and can’t even play a whole season. Stafford is just the Last GREATEST UGA QB to go to the NFL and hold a clipboard.
Marvin
November 9th, 2010
1:20 pm
Michael Vick killed countless innocent dogs and is still in the NFL making millions. If there is anything that college and professional sports teach us it’s that these guys are entertainers, and no behavior, no matter how despicable, is worthy of actual reproach. Newton may be a piece of trash thug crook hoodlem, but it wont change a thing.
BG
November 9th, 2010
1:25 pm
Mark you must have blinders on.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 9th, 2010
1:27 pm
Urban Meyer is going to spend more time with his family this week.
Bigdog4AU
November 9th, 2010
1:28 pm
Hey Joe..I guess we should all take your former AD’s example and run around on our wives and lie to the cops. Red panties..i don’t know how they got there… The last person that poked at a huge tiger was Seigfreied and Roy and we all know hopw that turned out.
Delbert D.
November 9th, 2010
1:35 pm
This is all so trivial. If you want to read a lot of weird stuff about a guy who *could have been* the greatest running back of all time, Google “Joe Don Looney.” And boy, was he. He drove all of his coaches crazy as well. I saw him play in the Oklahoma-Nebraska game on TV.
AU FAN
November 9th, 2010
1:39 pm
Why do people keep trying to bring Cam Newton down just because he is doing good and up for heisman.I bet if Auburn wasn’t undeated or had 6-4 record now no one would worry about the things he has did or didn’t do As for Georgia fans yall a bunch of crowd for wanting to play a team without their best player it shows that yall scared or need help trying to beat Auburn just man up.
1eyedJack
November 9th, 2010
1:39 pm
He’ll finish out the season, win the Heisman and enter the NFL draft. Somebody will take a flyer on him and reach in the first round. His skill set will not translate to the NFL at QB. He’ll be out of the league in 3 to 4 years. He’ll be in prison for armed robbery, selling cocaine, or stuffing his wife’s body in the trunk of his car…take your pick.
The question is…will he be able to outscore Vince Young on the Wunderlich test?
sean mc
November 9th, 2010
1:41 pm
Knowing that he is a thief and a very likely an academic fraudster, it makes it easier to me believe the story about the street agent soliciting a payoff from Miss. State on behalf of him and his family and to make the logical jump that the same sort of offer was made to and accepted by Auburn. It’s called circumstantial evidence and there are plenty of people sitting on death row who’ve been almost literally hung by it.
Delbert D.
November 9th, 2010
1:44 pm
A couple of Joe Don Looney quotes from”The Best Player who Never Was” :
“While playing for Detroit in 1966, Coach Harry Gilmer turned to Joe Don, gave him the next play and told him to carry it onto the field. Joe Don refused, saying, “If you want a messenger, call Western Union.” For that suggestion, he was suspended.”
“Lance Rentzel, a former wide receiver for the Sooners, says he recalls the time Joe Don told Wilkinson, “`Take me out. My biorhythms are out of sync.’ I watched him sit there for a long time, posed just like The Thinker. He never moved. Finally, he jumped up and said, `Coach, my biorhythms are fine. Put me in.’ Bud did, we ran a 61 trap, and he ran I don’t know how far for a touchdown.”
papadawg
November 9th, 2010
1:49 pm
Isn’t Alabama usually guilty in blowing the whistle on folks.
root4au
November 9th, 2010
1:57 pm
Let’s make a thug list of both schools over the past few years. Not even close. uga has someone arrested weekly. AU, one or two in the past couple of years…Don’t drive around athens late at night with your family. You just might get run over by a drunk uga player..
JoJoPotato
November 9th, 2010
2:01 pm
Cam Newton is not Reggie Bush. Nor is Cecil Newton Charles Stanley.
JacketLady
November 9th, 2010
2:03 pm
I am not a fan of Auburn but do admire the athletic talent of Cam Newton; but why didn’t someone come forward before now? There should be a statute of limitations that someone can bring up against these types of allegations. Cheating,while not admirable, doesn’t have anything to do with football but does reflect upon the type of student an institution recruits. Punish him for the incident and move on. If the punishment is serious enough then the institution can ask him to move on and maybe this is why he left UF. There should also be a time limit on investigating allegations. I would hope that the voters make a decision based upon the qualifications of the Heisman not on unfounded or unproven allegations. If he has done something against NCAA rules then by all means he and Auburn should pay the penalty but until then it looks like sour grapes.
Delbert D.
November 9th, 2010
2:05 pm
John Bond is not 007.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 9th, 2010
2:11 pm
AU Fan, I hope Cam is playing WTF are you talking about we wish he weren’t playing? Maybe AFTER the game we wished he wouldn’t have played. This UGA fan want Cam in there. These are just allegations, why would he be out anyway?
Ron
November 9th, 2010
2:11 pm
Ga Fan here. If there are no proven charges that are serious to get him suspended, per NCAA & SEC Rules, it is simple, he gets to play. And I say, let him play. I can assure you that I had rather play Auburn with him in the lineup than out of the lineup. If GA gets beat, Ga gets beat, but I don’t agree that Auburn scores 50-70 pts. and GA gets 7-14. Anyone who thinks that is dreaming. No one has blown us out yet. It is obvious that Cam has done some things that were not correct, but has he done enough not to play? Well, it has not been proven or he would not be playing. We have enough trouble at GA with our athletes, just like everyone else does.