It’s a new day, but the same story. Or, more precisely, the same story with a new twist. Joe Schad of ESPN.com is reporting that two sources who recruit for Mississippi State claim that Cam Newton, the Auburn quarterback who’s from College Park, and his father Cecil “admitted in separate phone conversations to a pay-for-play plan while Newton was being recruited late last year.”
More ominously for Auburn, Schad reports that Cam Newton called another recruiter to express regret, saying his father had chosen Auburn for him because “the money was too much.”
A tempest has raged around Newton the past week, beginning with ESPN’s original report that the former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond claimed he had been told it would take $180,000 for the player to enroll at MSU. A subsequent report by FoxSports.com contended that Newton had faced charges of cheating while at Florida, prompting angry responses from both Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs and coach Gene Chizik and, in a bizarre twist, a denial from Florida coach Urban Meyer that he had been FoxSports’ source.
But this latest report from ESPN marks the first time the Newtons, father and son, have been linked — even if the link comes via second-hand unnamed sources — to any recruiting malfeasance, and it’s also the first time it has been suggested — even if the suggestion was apparently made by Cam Newton himself — that the family might have received money from Auburn.
And this could change everything. Auburn’s stance to date has been that Newton is eligible to play for the Tigers, but a school cannot allow a player to continue to represent it if his eligibility is at issue. To date it hasn’t been. (The Bond allegations pertained to Mississippi State, not Auburn.) But now it is.
And Auburn, which is ranked No. 2 in both the Associated Press poll and the BCS standings, plays Georgia on Saturday. You’d be well advised to stay tuned.
Still more Cam! Even by SEC standards, this latest tempest is mind-boggling.
387 comments Add your comment
npgator
November 10th, 2010
10:48 am
I hope that Cam Newton and Auburn take out their frustrations on the Bulldogs this weekend. My prediction Auburn 56 and Georgia 3.
ddawg
November 10th, 2010
10:49 am
@82Dawg…I think he withdrew after being told he wouldn’t be back on the team. They let him take the high road and “transfer” but his career was done at UF. Point being, this is a bad kid and everyone should have seen this coming. Always respected Auburn, but no more.
producewiz
November 10th, 2010
10:50 am
sorry Auburn,but it’s not going to quit and if Newton can play under this pressure, he will be a 1st round draft pick before the SEC chanpionship game.Yet, all the real negative stuff comes from MSU, and they are Jackie Sherill students.Enuff said
Delbert D.
November 10th, 2010
10:51 am
If the 2 unnamed Miss. St. recruiters are not coaches, they must be the hospitality babes that wear tight t-shirts, right?
Abnerish
November 10th, 2010
10:53 am
if AU or their boosters are guilty of paying for Cam’s services then they should get what they deserve. If this is all lies and innuendo to bring AU down, then I think college football and the SEC has a serious issue on its hands. In either case, this is bad for college football. I want UGA to play AU with Cam Newton.
MURPHY
November 10th, 2010
10:54 am
npgaytor,
Might want to worry more bout your Gaytors facing Spurrier than the Dawgs facing AU.
Goodbye Auburn
November 10th, 2010
10:56 am
Remember when SMU was a powerhouse?
Auburn fans under 30….google “smu death penalty” because that’s where Auburn is going.
gdawginkalamazoo
November 10th, 2010
10:56 am
layinlow, I thought Chizek was an assitant at Auburn before he went to ISU? The hire seemed odd at the time but being familiar with the program and SEC made sense. It has worked well so far. How much it might have cost, no idea.
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
November 10th, 2010
10:58 am
Chizek was the DC on the undefeated Auburn team.
Goodbye Auburn
November 10th, 2010
10:58 am
Producewiz
Just HOW stupid are you?
LOL Cam Newton will never start a NFL game
Cam Newton is projected to be a 4th-7th round pick.
1eyedJack
November 10th, 2010
10:58 am
Cameron Newton may be a hellofa football player but I wouldn’t let him “drive” a shopping cart.
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
November 10th, 2010
10:59 am
Then the next season left to go to Texas and was the DC with them on there National Title team. That is when he left to go to Iowa. I believe that is his timeline.
Buzzzed
November 10th, 2010
11:00 am
Bye Bye Auburn football if true.
Also, the IRS will probably get involved b/c that’s 200K of taxable income. I don’t think it will qualify as a donation to the father’s church either.
Dong, Where Is My Automobile?
November 10th, 2010
11:00 am
Come on..Do you really think that in this day and age AU paid Newton’s father!? There is no way they are that stupid.
SCJack
November 10th, 2010
11:01 am
Mark: thanks for reporting the latest on this issue but mostly for not using your pen, as Mr Barnhart, to project yourself as judge, jury, FBI, NCAA, SEC, God, etc. Your approach is refreshing to say the least.
BreakingNews
November 10th, 2010
11:02 am
where are all of the War Eagles that were so vehemently posting on here Saturday night? They seem to have scattered…
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
November 10th, 2010
11:03 am
1) Auburn comes out plays with there hair on fire.
Not good for UGA
2) Auburn comes out flat and distracted.
Not good for College football fans in general. We want the best players and teams playing at a high level this time of year. The destractions are terrible.
3) Auburn gets beat by UGA and allegations are proven false.
Not good for UGA, Auburn and College Football. Auburn fans would be robbed gain, the UGA victory tainted and college football loses me as a fan.
I would watch UGA, but the NFL would gain a full time follower. At least then I would know exactly who is paying for play and who is not playing for pay (insert Randy Moss joke).
Gen Neyland
November 10th, 2010
11:04 am
I’m seeing the UGA-AU game as Auburn’s battle cry akin to the one that went, ‘Remember the Maine.’ Newton will play through it, Auburn as a team will play through it. They will look to make a statement at UGA’s expense. In that regard Dawgs, don’t go into the weekend thinking Newton’s psyche is gonna be one of sullen heart and looking over his shoulder for the NCAA to come a-knocking. Newton, Cheesestik and Auburn may eventually go down but they will try to go down in a blaze of glory…
Hey Cam : Call 1-800-REG-BUSH for advice.
Jack
November 10th, 2010
11:05 am
when is it going to ever happen that these hack so called journalists get held accountable for being able to post anything they want and hide behind the “unnamed source” BS. imo, what should happen is that if and when any of this proves to be false the hacks should be sued and or convicted. that would stop them from printing false innuendos whenever they please.
Goodbye Auburn
November 10th, 2010
11:05 am
All the enablers and defenders of the liar/cheater/felon that is Cam Newton are all running and hiding. They are know that their dear and beloved Auburn is about to get the SMU treatment.
D Fence
November 10th, 2010
11:06 am
AU= Alabama Usually Beats Um Round November
Come on Dawgs – Make it five in a row.
Goodbye Auburn
November 10th, 2010
11:07 am
Gonna CRY Jack? LMAO Sniff Sniff, your nose running?
Never has this much info come out on a player and not been true.
Your School is winning NOTHING and after the NCAA is done with your School you won’t ever come close again.
LMAO
Get used to it and stop crying about the truth coming out
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
November 10th, 2010
11:08 am
That ESPN 30 for 30 is exactly what I thought of when reading this story. Dupree in 1982-83 set the example for it and almost 30 years later it is still going on.
Dong, Where Is My Automobile?
November 10th, 2010
11:09 am
Good points Lowcountry.
I’m starting to like Sunday football more and more and I was (and still am) a HUGE college football fan. All of this crap has really taken the luster off of college ball for me. It may be time to start paying the college players somehow (officially and legally paying the players..)
Cam's Dad
November 10th, 2010
11:09 am
Yes, Cam did extremely well in his on camera interview yesterday. I believe that everyone knows that Cam and I are innocent of any wrong doing. What a HOOT! Cannot wait for the game on Saturday. Nobody’s going to suspend Cam for a game. We are untouchable!! Dawgs are going down. So what if we have to forfeit the game in a couple of years after the NCAA concludes its inquiry…..This is great!!
SECWasteManagement
November 10th, 2010
11:10 am
The Coup de grâce for this weekend will be The Camburgerlar shootin’ his wad too early and the Dawgs showing up with more ammunition in their clip for the shootout.
Joe Bob Thibodaux
November 10th, 2010
11:13 am
Pssssssssst
you fellers come over here.
I got something to show you:
See here, this is a nifty notebook, see it:
This is definitive:
Derrick Dooley recruited Cam Newton as a field goal kicker.
Psssssssst. Pass the word, and tell em Smmokey sent you.
$200,000 buys lots of oodles o' noodles
November 10th, 2010
11:13 am
Where are the Auburn posters from yesterday??/ (crickets chirping)
MAKO
November 10th, 2010
11:15 am
I’m a UGA fan and this is ridiculous. It’s time for all the big mouths to come out into the light of day and put their innuendos out for all to see and know who is saying what. Then, maybe we’ll find out if this all just a big hoax (if it is, the Newton’s should hire a good litigator) or something real and very, very ugly. Either way “Man Up”.
This thing is starting to grow legs, just like Alabama recruiting a kid from Memphis some years ago. Only in the SEC!!!!
Roy Wood
November 10th, 2010
11:15 am
Herschel Talker Mark Richt is not going anywhere no matter what the score is to many sorry coaches around the SEC and Atlanta but we will keep Ray Goff in waiting. HA HA
Dont worry Auburn, SMU got good again....
November 10th, 2010
11:16 am
And soon Auburn will be tied for first for all time NCAA infractions!
Woot go Auburn!
Ted M
November 10th, 2010
11:25 am
Goodbye Auburn – Frank Cooney’s NFL Draft Scout’s and CBSsports.com rate Newton as the number 1 quarterback for 2011 draft out of 118.
Saying he is a 4th to 7th round pick is, I guess, just your way of expressing your displeasure with his character.
Ed (The Original)
November 10th, 2010
11:25 am
Cam Newton comes off as intelligent, articulate and charismatic when interviewed. He might also be a sociopath, because it sounds like this kid recognizes no boundaries. If the allegations are true, then this behavior is about as brazen as it gets.
Dont worry Auburn, SMU got good again....
November 10th, 2010
11:26 am
Who the heck is Auburn?
– Signed 2015 NCAA Football Fan
TrueBlueBravesFan
November 10th, 2010
11:26 am
What really shocks me is how many infractions he had at Florida before Urban Crier kicked him off the team. That is unbelievable. If this happened in Athens it would have been all over the national media.
Man Florida is good at keeping this stuff under wraps. You Florida fans better knock off the the knocking of Georgia’s issues because it looks like a closer scrutiny may be in order for your program.
As for Cam and his recruitment. If he’s guilty it will come out. Im starting to think Gene Chizik is right from the Pat Dye mold. Auburn found themselves a good one. LOL
Dawg Gummit
November 10th, 2010
11:29 am
Cam or no Cam, UGA is not going into this game scared to played Auburn. We are going for the thumb this year and CMR has no hangups playing Auburn. Auburn has not blown anyone out in the SEC games so UGA will not be an exception. Dawgs may not win but will be in the game in the fourth quarter. The press needs to let Cam alone if there were any truth the NCAA would have suspended him months ago. Just the press trying to bring down another SEC team so they can say our conference is a bunch of Cheaters. Go Dawgs, GATA on Saturday!!
Ron
November 10th, 2010
11:31 am
Let him play & I’m a GA fan. The worse that can happen is we will get beat, but I had rather play Auburn with him in the lineup. But to you Auburn Morons who think is is going to be 40-70 for Auburn & only 3-14 for GA, it is not going to happen. Your offense may be that good, but your defense isn’t and we are getting better.
Dont worry Auburn, SMU got good again....
November 10th, 2010
11:32 am
LMAO at Ted and his Frank Cooney’s NFL draft prediction
Cam Newton has not shown anyone in the NFL his pure QB skills because of the run-option spread he plays in, who cares what some SCRUB frank Cooney says, everyone else says he would be the 5th QB taken this year at BEST.
dawgfacedboy
November 10th, 2010
11:34 am
Players should not definitely not get paid. This situation could be resolved with stiff penalties to the “snakes in the grass”.
Plenty of students pay back student loans for years to pay for what these players get for free. Punish the “snakes in the grass” and it will go away.
Time
November 10th, 2010
11:35 am
I see 4 pages of almost universal guilt for Newton here. Personally, I’d like to see one shred of verifiable evidence before I go off and call the man guilty. Past infractions mean nothing to this case. The fact that he attends a school you don’t like doesn’t make him guilty either. Evidence does, and to this point there must not be much, because the NCAA has had this since July and as of yet, nothing.
That being said, if he’s guilty, it doesn’t sound to me that the blame needs to be layed on Cam as much as it does his Father. If this is all true, he’s the real sleeze, and his son is just a by-product of the fathers teachings.
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
November 10th, 2010
11:35 am
Well the top two Qb’s that come to mind are Luck from Stanford and Lockler from Washington. After that it could be Nesbit off the board. Thats what I am hearing, the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, Nesbit as the 3rd QB taken.
dawgfacedboy
November 10th, 2010
11:35 am
That should read “definitely not get paid”. Let me apologize for the typo before I get blasted for being a poorly edumacated redneck.
Marcus Dupree
November 10th, 2010
11:36 am
If anyone saw the ESPN 30 for 30 last night titled, ‘The Best That Never Was,’ you would then know that this type of thing was going on then, and this type of thing is going on now. if you haven’t seen this particular episode, it re-runs tomorrow night on either ESPN2 or ESPNU …worth watching.
GTBob
November 10th, 2010
11:37 am
Hard to not believe something is wrong when new info comes out everyday. I can’t remember this much information ever coming out about a story and the story ended up being completely false. If this turns out true then it will be a huge black mark for Auburn, the SEC, and College Football in general. Money really is ruining the sport in a variety of ways.
Time
November 10th, 2010
11:37 am
And LOL at Nesbitt as the 3rd QB off the board. Yea, maybe in bizarro world.
Bosshog
November 10th, 2010
11:37 am
serious for auburn?
wtf are you toking dude?
cammy cam is the man. this is all going mean uga will get thumped like a punching bag.
Mark the sources are not named which means clearly this is bogus. unless you can prove he received payments the conversation is meaningless.
It is not illegal to ask for money. maybe it could have been in exchange for prayers from papa newton.
you cannot tape a conversation without permission from all parties.
see how easy thatw as mark. no story here guy. try another angle that requires more effort.
stop stealing money dude.
cammy cam is the man. running all over those pretty boys from uga.
Bosshog
spike
November 10th, 2010
11:38 am
Not one person is willing to go on the record with direct knowledge of anything that would rise to the level of a suspension or penalty against the AU Football program. It’s been a week since the story broke, and 11 months since the NCAA had the story.
Not. One.
Bond has changed his story 3 times now – latest is he never heard Rogers say anything, but got the info from a friend of a friend.
The cheating stuff (again, anonymous, with no documentation) has no impact on his eligibility or Auburn’s enrolling him to play, even if true, and has been completely contradicted in other published reports.
Allegations of Cam and his dad telling recruiters they were paid, even if they did say so, are not nearly the same thing as proving a payoff occurred, or was even solicited. And they are still anonymous sources unwilling to go on the record.
If he did something wrong, let’s get him and the program punished. But enough innuendo – how about some evidence? Put up or shut up.
The football field seems to be the only place where Newton can get judged just on facts – I don’t think I’d like to be Georgia this weekend.
dawgfacedboy
November 10th, 2010
11:38 am
Lowcountry- Sarcasm is hard to read in writing but I’ll assume you are being sarcastic with Nesbitt as the 3rd QB taken.
GT Anchorage
November 10th, 2010
11:38 am
If any of this turns out to be true, Cam is in a lot of trouble. It is absolutely ridiculous for a college football player to demand money to play college football.
It seems like to me, that this is happening frequently throughout college football… If it is, we are in for a couple of rough years. I could see more of the USC/North Carolina scenarios happening.
Bosshog
November 10th, 2010
11:40 am
Dont worry Auburn, SMU got good again….
November 10th, 2010
11:32 am
LMAO at Ted and his Frank Cooney’s NFL draft prediction
Cam Newton has not shown anyone in the NFL his pure QB skills because of the run-option spread he plays in, who cares what some SCRUB frank Cooney says, everyone else says he would be the 5th QB taken this year at BEST.
—–
cammy cam is the number one overall pick next year he is better than luck better than locker. put that in your pipe and smoke it.
cam is a man playing with little boys.