Why Auburn can’t allow Cam to play against UGA (Updated)
On Tuesday Gene Chizik defended Cam Newton against allegations the coach called “pure garbage” by saying the quarterback had done everything asked of him since arriving at Auburn. But now Auburn needs to ask — nay, to demand — that Newton do something difficult for all involved.
Auburn needs to tell Newton to sit out the Georgia game.
The dynamics have changed since Chizik offered his ringing defense. On Wednesday ESPN reported that two unnamed Mississippi State “recruiters” had heard both Newton and his father Cecil mention money in separate phone conversations. On Thursday Kenny Rogers told ESPN 103.3 in Dallas that the elder Newton was seeking between $100,000 and $180,000 for his son to enroll at Mississippi State.
In nine days we’d gone from two reports that referenced the former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond as a rather distant accuser to stronger allegations that Cecil Newton himself asked for money. And late Friday Mark Winne of Channel 2 Action News reported that Cecil Newton has admitted discussing the possibility of getting money from MSU. (Though the elder Newton claimed no money changed hands and that both Cam Newton and Auburn are clean.)
Rogers has offered names, dates, details and demands. Rogers, who has worked for an agent who is apparently being investigated by the NFL Players Association, might not be the perfect witness, but the murky depths of NCAA violations tend not to be the realm of saints.
As yet, nothing has surfaced to tie Auburn to any player payola, but that’s no longer the issue. It can be an NCAA violation for anyone to seek money or benefits on behalf of a prospect, and now Cecil Newton has apparently admitted as much. Which means Cam Newton could be ineligible. More to the point, it means Auburn has reason to suspect he could be ineligible.
Auburn faces Georgia tomorrow. The Tigers can clinch the SEC West if they win, but there’s more at stake that a berth in the SEC championship game and the clear possibility of playing for the BCS title: There’s the reputation of a university on the line, and it’s a reputation Auburn hasn’t always gone to the wall to protect.
In 1957 Auburn went undefeated and finished No. 1 in the Associated Press poll but couldn’t grace a bowl because it was on probation. In 1993 Auburn went undefeated but was barred from a bowl appearance — and even from appearing on live TV — because it was on probation. In 2003 Auburn’s president and athletic director flew to Sellersburg, Ind., on a private jet owned by the toxic booster Bobby Lowder to meet with Louisville coach Bobby Petrino even though Auburn still had a coach in Tommy Tuberville.
According to the NCAA’s database, Auburn football has been penalized five times for major violations. (This doesn’t count JetGate, which was merely an affront to human decency.) The most recent sanctions were levied in 1993, which suggests the school has become more scrupulous in recent years. Here’s the chance for Auburn University to prove it’s more than a football program with a few classrooms as window dressing. Here’s the chance for Auburn to prove it cares more about being an institution of higher learning than it does the outcome of a given game.
Auburn has cause to doubt that Cam Newton’s recruitment was pristine. It plays Georgia on Saturday but doesn’t play again until it meets Alabama the day after Thanksgiving. That’s nearly two weeks to conduct a thorough in-house investigation, as opposed to relying on the kneejerk “Cam Newton is eligible to play at Auburn” defense. That’s enough time to get some grasp on what’s really what.
The worst thing a school can do is to allow a player of questionable eligibility to represent it. For Auburn to let Newton play against Georgia simply on faith would be to ignore the revelations of the past nine days. It doesn’t much matter if Mississippi State or Florida or the CIA or the KGB was behind these allegations; what matters is that the burden of proof — and proving that something didn’t happen is a massive burden — has fallen on Auburn.
If Newton doesn’t play against Georgia and the Bulldogs win, Auburn will have lost a football game. If Newton plays and is later found to have been ineligible, Auburn will lose much more. For the sake of his latest school, Cam Newton cannot take the field tomorrow.
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1,576 comments Add your comment
Crumpy frisky this morning
November 12th, 2010
10:33 am
You idiot barners… Bradley has nothing against your school. Last week the puppies were doing the same thing you are now, blaming biased Bradley.
Unconfirmed sources confirm… ALLBARN fans are all DOUCHE bags!
bhahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahahhahha!
Auburn alum
November 12th, 2010
10:33 am
“it’s more than a football program with a few classrooms as window dressing.”
Please do not insult the entire institution because it’s athletic department may or may not have done something illegal. I am an Auburn alumni and my whole family went to Auburn. We are a family of mainly doctors and a couple of engineers. Auburn is more than just a football program. I am sure Auburn would have turned you into a professional rather than the insulting person you have become.
Dtigers
November 12th, 2010
10:33 am
Mark,
I hope you’re kidding. Obviously, you want the Dawgs to win. There is too much writing going on and everyone that has a platform is giving their, simple minded, opinions. I am an Auburn fan and have no doubt that their is some truth to some of this. However, sitting him out will do nothing. It will not save any face. If Au is guilty, they’re guilty and they know it. If they did something wrong, sitting him out of one game will not keep them from any trouble. However, so far, every comment that has come out has been fishy and unsubstantiated…even the one you mentioned above. MSU said that they put the two “phone conversations” in their report in Jan and July. The SEC has come back and said “no, you didn’t.” The fact is that Meyer and Mullen may be hurt, long, term as much as AU. They all do it, to some degree and there is “honor among thieves.” When Fulmer secretly turned in Bama because he lost out to a recruit that Bama paid for, he lost ALL credibility as a coach. He couldn’t even show up to media days…you just don’t turn in your fellow teams. I can’t stand Bama, but can’t stand him more for doing just that. He is a hypocrite and a snake. I have no doubt that most of the big names over the years…Bo, Cadillac, Ingram, Julio, Moreno, etc… have been greased in one way or another. As far as the cheating. You mean a star football player was trying to get away with not doing his school work??? Wow, I’m sure that’s a first also…
Auburn is not a great team.
November 12th, 2010
10:33 am
Auburn is far from a GREAT team. There have been many teams that are far from mediocre that have nipped the heels of Auburn. If you don’t think that UGA is capable of beating Auburn then you have another thing coming. Ask Kentucky. They gave Auburn everything they could handle and then some. UGA has the talent offensively and the speed defensively to beat Auburn. Distractions or not, outside of Newton, most people would take UGA’s roster, not their coaches though.
kinneth strawder
November 12th, 2010
10:34 am
Do UGA SUCK that bad where they need for the starting QB to sit out so they may have a slight chance of winning.
Crumpy frisky this morning
November 12th, 2010
10:34 am
I nominate Texas A&M to replace those cheating stinking no good losers Awwbarn in the SEC West next year.
All in ???
AU FAN
November 12th, 2010
10:35 am
Media has become judge, jury and executioner. Unfortunate, Auburn is a wonderful place and has great fans. ” If the glove doesn’t fit, you must aquit. ”
CRUMPY- no comment, not only do you have no skills- you are not being recognized by anyone on this blog besides yourself. You are just noise, isn’t there a singles site or some type of chatroom that you can take your shenanigans to?
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
10:35 am
This is great for Cam. It gets his name in the papers. He is getting a ton of publicity. The NFL doesn’t GAS if he is a scumbag. AU is the only thing getting hurt here.
WarDamn
November 12th, 2010
10:35 am
Its funny how the AJC will publish that they feel Cam Shouldn’t play. The article is clearly biased, probably a Georgia follower who realizes Auburn is actually doing something this year.
Lights. Cameron. Action
AMEN
November 12th, 2010
10:35 am
MikeP – AMEN BROTHER!!
These sleezeballs posting on here wanting Cam’s head and just idiots.
Randall... harder than liquid concrete son
November 12th, 2010
10:36 am
“it’s more than a football program with a few classrooms as window dressing.”
What a d-ck running Bradley! well done
War scam eagle
derek4431
November 12th, 2010
10:36 am
Mark, I’m going over to see Steve Spurrier today and tell him I want $100K for Javon Clowney to come to USCe. Guess he’s screwed now, huh?
JC
November 12th, 2010
10:36 am
I guess this title sounds better than “I hope Cam Newton doesn’t play against Georgia this weekend”
Johnny U.
November 12th, 2010
10:36 am
Georgia will extend the win streak over Auburn to 5…..but it probably will occur when we’re watching the Braves sometime next spring, not tomorrow.
JB
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
Name the schools that would play him this weekend if the shoe was on their foot….and the teams that wouldn’t.
PLAY HIM: AU,Bama,Tenn,LSU,SC,Fla
Not play him: Vandy,Kty,Ga,Olemiss,Miss st
Dtigers
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
@Auburn is not a great team” How much football do you watch???? Last year, Bama almost lost to two very mediocre SEC teams, but they were the best in the country. Playing an SEC schedule is tough. It doesn’t matter how big you win. An undefeated SEC team is special. That just doesn’t happen often. However, they played Kentucky early on and have gotten better each week since and have pretty much smoked everyone since that time.
Jim Pierce
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
Didn’t they sit AJ Green while being investigated? What was Green guilty of? I dunno that background… anyone?
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
Can anyone play Taps for AU. Maybe Cammie can hire a band with his millions that he earns at the expense of AU’s football program for the next several years.
Randall... harder than liquid concrete son
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
AU FAN … thanks for proving my point that all allbarn fans are douche bags.
You want more barn boy???? Bring it!
Jimmy
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
Wow…this story really has legs–the legs of a 6′6″ 240lb QB that can run right over a Defensive Tackle.
Freddy
November 12th, 2010
10:37 am
Who cares..
MikeP
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
Quoting Mark Bradley: “It doesn’t much matter if Mississippi State or Florida or the CIA or the KGB was behind these allegations; what matters is that the burden of proof — and proving that something didn’t happen is a massive burden — has fallen on Auburn..”
Where did you get that strange idea? If I say Mark Bradley paid Caleb King $50 to attend Georgia, is the burden of proof on Mark Bradley? Of course not, it’s on me. The burden of proof is on Kenny Rogers and the statements he made yesterday are in total conflict with what he said last Friday. Rogers is what one would term “not a creditable source” and there is no other source out there cl.aiming anything.
Steve Spurrier
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
One day a few years ago a bum walked up to me off the street and said for $180,000 I could get AJ Green to come play for us.
So, MARK BRADLEY, should UGA sit AJ GREEN????
The Real Chef
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
You need to loose the stiffy you’ve got on this issue.
jennifer
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
Mark, I think it would be extremely helpful to have a column discussing precisely what NCAA regulations are involved and what rules would have been violated if the accusations prove true. There seems to be some belief from your commenters that soliciting payment from MSU wouldn’t affect eligibility at AU (incorrect) and that Cam is eligible unless it’s shown that AU paid him or he solicited payment from AU (incorrect). As I see it, retaining an agent alone is enough to make him ineligible, regardless of what school that agent approached. Outside of the agent issue, though, I’m not sure what the rules say about whether he’s eligible to play at AU if he never solicited payment from AU. Can you please enlighten us?
Jimmy
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
GOOOOOooooo NCAA CAMvestigation!
Islett
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
Any of you looked at the picture closely? He’s at Miss. St, with Miss. St. colors on and waving their cowbell. All the kids earlier in the year including AJ Green sat because of “allegations”, same as here. He needs to be sat down until they have an answer. Look at the pic closely.
TheItalianDawg
November 12th, 2010
10:38 am
even with Cam at QB, Georgia will win this game! count on it, we shall see
Rebecca
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
I completely disagree. There is absolutely no proof whatsoever that any of this is true. All we have are allegations and if you want Auburn to set a standard in which players that are accused of wrongdoing with no proof should sit out ball games then get ready to watch a lot of SEC football with no one on the field. If that becomes the standard, what a field day all SEC teams would have accusing each other while providing no proof of anything.
Jim Pierce is an idiot
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
Jim PIerce – AJ GREEN WAS GUILTY – and the NCAA told UGA to sit him.
Big difference – get a clue
Mark Bradley
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
From Lars Anderson’s Newton in profile in Sports Illustrated:
Last December the choice of which college to attend came down to two schools—Auburn and Mississippi State. Newton preferred Starkville because of his close relationship with Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen, who had been Newton’s offensive coordinator at Florida. But Cecil thought his son should choose Auburn, which had an experienced offensive line (four starters were returning) and was only a two-hour drive from Atlanta. Newton let his father make the final decision, and a few days before Christmas, while sitting at the dinner table in his brother’s house in Jacksonville, Cecil Sr. uttered two words that would radically alter the college football landscape: “It’s Auburn.”
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
Cam Newton = Auburns Demise. Sorry Tiger! I will miss you guys. I always thought of you as a brother. I hope you can still get some (three) star athletes in the next few years with your five scholarships.
Who Cares
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
Mark–bad journalism. Maybe you need a new career?!
reebok
November 12th, 2010
10:40 am
well, if this works and Cam sits out, i’m going to start blogging a ton of malicious rumors about AJ Greene so UGA will be forced to sit him down for the G-Tech game…since we are now making players ineligible for being the subject of unproven rumors, why not?
JB
November 12th, 2010
10:40 am
He’s got Obama’s ears……nuff said….LOL
middleoftheroadandtiredofit
November 12th, 2010
10:40 am
Oh yeah, sit him out based on info from people at a school he did not choose to attend. Based on accusations without proof. And this would in no way be to allow UGA chances to improve to knock off the No. 2 team in the nation, help keep Richt’s job, and possibly derail Newton’s Heisman chances and hurt a team which may also be the national champion this year. No politicing here. What if a couple of “credible” sources claim Richt and some of his coaches approached Newton and other top ranked players with cash offers? Should they step down for an investigation wwhile their team is playing? Or Bradley should be benched because he gets inside information from UGA staff and players?
Jimmy
November 12th, 2010
10:40 am
WAR CAM EAGLE!!!
Jim Pierce
November 12th, 2010
10:41 am
Jim Pierce is an idiot
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
Jim PIerce – AJ GREEN WAS GUILTY – and the NCAA told UGA to sit him.
Big difference – get a clue”
****Sounds to me like YOU need to get a clue lol If Green was guilty and the NCAA told Uga to sit him why haven’t they told Auburn to sit Cam?
Jim Pierce
November 12th, 2010
10:41 am
Jim Pierce is an idiot
November 12th, 2010
10:39 am
Jim PIerce – AJ GREEN WAS GUILTY – and the NCAA told UGA to sit him.
Big difference – get a clue”
****Sounds to me like YOU need to get a clue lol If Green was guilty and the NCAA told Uga to sit him why haven’t they told Auburn to sit Cam?
Jimmy
November 12th, 2010
10:41 am
Cam heard that JB.
Tracey
November 12th, 2010
10:41 am
Alabama fan here and while most schools would sit the player, Auburn has NOTHING to lose by playing him. He’s the best player in America right now and if these allegations turn our to be untrue, at least the pro scouts will have seen him play.
If he’s ineligible, well they will forfeit, but again they have nothing to lose by playing him right now.
My problem is that if it’s untrue and proven months from now, that Heisman voters will likely be wary to vote for him in fear of a “Reggie Bush” fiasco and that’s not right. He’s the best player this year!
I still cheer for Bama but Auburn is doing what it has to do based on their own circumstances. They are playing well and it’s a shame this happened to detract from what they have accomplished.
@ Dtigers
November 12th, 2010
10:41 am
The problem is if Auburn at this point is playing an ineligible player because he asked for money they are in trouble. Reason: If Auburn paid him they wont have any scholly players anymore and players will be allowed to transfer anywhere that will take them, death penalty (almost). If they didn’t play him, they simply forfeit every game from the point they were notified of the investigation that the possibility is there, Bradley is correct in pointing out that Auburn has to take the high road because of their history. This will come from the Board of Trustees or President, Newton will have to sit this game out and nobody wins in this situation. I still think Auburn beats Georgia. The fact that Auburn has been on severe probation before, the fact that they have a potentially ineligible player, and the fact that they have been notified his recruitment is being investigated means he shouldn’t step on the field. No player is bigger than a University. Just too much smoke.
CDUB
November 12th, 2010
10:41 am
free AJ you forgot to mention that AJ was guilty admittedly. I believe the word allegations come from the root word allege. Which means there is an assumption. For all you legal eagles the “burden of proof” is never on the defendant it’s on the plaintiff. What’s interesting is where was all this crap when Auburn was 1-0, 2-0 etc… Smells like a witch hunt and a rejected and jilted lover.. I’m just sayin..
Dawg2010
November 12th, 2010
10:42 am
Mark I have a question,
If Newton is found to be inelgible would that make LSU undefeated and thus the new number 2 in the rankings?
Seems to me LSU is the team that is really getting screwed by the NCAA not acting on this quickly.
JB
November 12th, 2010
10:42 am
Reebok…….This is a tad more than just an internet rumor…..A NCAA probable violation was reported to the SEC by another SEC school. I hardly call that “malicious rumor”
Crumpy frisky this morning
November 12th, 2010
10:42 am
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_r90LFPCqqBk/TK5r7KSkxtI/AAAAAAAAATg/yNRA6kQ9vEs/s1600/carla+and+gibbs.jpg
Jaguar
November 12th, 2010
10:42 am
One issue that seems to be different with this investigation is that the FBI is involved. It will be really hard for someone to lie to them, since they could be imprisoned for lying or obstruction. They could get to the truth a lot quicker than the NCAA. If Cam or his dad received money for signing with a college, then he will be ineligible beginning when he violated NCAA rules. This would mean that Auburn has to vacate all wins in 2010 in which Cam played. If Auburn knew about this, then they will receive sanctions including scholarship reductions, fines, loss of games, loss of bowl appearances, etc. The big question is: Will the NCAA allow this to go on with the risk of Auburn having to give up the SEC Championship and even the BCS Championship? It appears that they don’t want to have to have this scenario play out.
FRED
November 12th, 2010
10:42 am
REMEMBER WE LOOSE BY LESS THAN 14 PTS AND IT’S GOOD AS A WIN GO UGA.
Gail
November 12th, 2010
10:44 am
If Cam Newton and his dad were talking openly with Mississippi State coaches about getting money from Auburn – don’t you think the the subject would come up between Cecil Newton and the Auburn coaches – even if the payola is coming from a third party booster. Of course Auburn has to deny everything – because it is improbable given how much Cam and his dad talk that the Auburn coaches didn’t know money was being asked for – whether or not it was paid. I doubt Mullen and staff are lying.
Jimmy
November 12th, 2010
10:44 am
reebok…that is exactly how the AJ Green investigation started! The geniuses at TMZ erroneously reported that he went to the Agent’s party in Miami. NCAA started sniffing around and found the jersey sale. Thanks AJ and Thanks TMZ. “I’m a Lawyer.”