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
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
11:22 am
FREE CAM NEWTON! Oh wait, he is free and will be a millionaire next year……………….Meanwhile, back at Auburn, how is the girls soccer team going to do this year?……I remember when the used to have a pretty good football team!
GTSteve
November 12th, 2010
11:22 am
Yeah, they gotta play him….no choice now..if they are guilty, it will come out and they will have to forfeit all games….if they were 7 and 3 or something like that, I could see them sitting him hoping nothing would come of it and they would look like the did the right thing……but I gotta agree with the people that are saying that Auburn is ALL IN with this kid…..but for the record, I think UGA is going to step up and shock the south this weekend!!
AU FAN
November 12th, 2010
11:22 am
Does anyone know where the rumored PRESS CONFERENCE Auburn is supposed to hold @ 3:00 eastern is coming from? Website? Source?
Heath
November 12th, 2010
11:23 am
Mark, remember when all of the Auburn fans (and everyone else for that matter) cried like little girls over your article saying they were the most obnoxious in the SEC?
You are a prophet.
auburn
November 12th, 2010
11:23 am
WHY UGA DON’T LIKE BLACKS TO PLAY QB, example,Hines Ward, DJ( barely) the kid from Wilcox county ETC………
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!!
November 12th, 2010
11:23 am
NEWS FLASH: A CONVOY OF DUMP TRUCK’S HAVE BEEN SPOTTED COMING OUT OF FLORIDA LOADED WITH SAND!!! SEEM LEE CO. HAS RUN OUTTA THE STUFF FOR THE “ALLBARN FAMBLEE” TO STICK THIER HEADS IN!!! I THINK IT WOULD BE CHEAPER TO JUST STICK THIER HEADS UP THE BACKSIDES……….LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO!!!!!!!!!!
Zombie Steve
November 12th, 2010
11:23 am
biased article
Steve Fleming
November 12th, 2010
11:24 am
It takes a VERY dense person to actually believe that a person shopping his son is going to say it will take between 100 and 180K for his signature. If you cannot see the idiocy in this allegation and cannot see that this Rogers clown is a lying dingbat, then you are beyond help.
J Clay
November 12th, 2010
11:24 am
If Newton is ineligible all the games will be considered a loss – so they might as well let him play now…it’s not like they would only make them forfeit the UGA game
We rent players Inc
November 12th, 2010
11:24 am
Southerngirl Let’s see Auburn has been on probation 7 times- that’s 7 times!!! Maybe they tend to cheat now and then- you think???
AU FAN
November 12th, 2010
11:25 am
Rumored, press conference @ 3:00 eastern time?
Anyone have any source to this?
Zombie Steve
November 12th, 2010
11:25 am
We all know why you want them to sit Cam, Bradley. UGA doesn’t stand a chance with him on the field.
dan
November 12th, 2010
11:25 am
they have known about this for a year why bring it up right before the ga.game i smell a fish
uga2002
November 12th, 2010
11:25 am
Auburn will play Cam, Auburn will kick our ass, thanks Mark for adding to their fire and focus.
And you know, the more you post in the comment section the less qualified you look to write articles.
Look at thiz thlls through this context- boosters out of control at MSU and possibly out of the control of the State AD. Admitting to offering money. No proof Newton asked or accepted other than from proven violators. FBI and NCAA wants to talk to the boosters don’t they? MSU sat on evidence for 8-9 months? No proof that Newton Sr walked from MSU because of dangerous boosters but that’d make sense.
The AD and coach at Auburn did not commit any of the 7 major violations you speak of, right? NCAA hasn’t stoped and Auburn isn’t benching Cam.
I guess this is another article that Barnhardt called embarassing yesterday, I wonder if its even worse when it’s inhouse?
jim thompson
November 12th, 2010
11:26 am
Play Cam …… His picture can go right next to the “57″ teams picture on top of the stadium after he carries us to the championship.
Hey Bradley …. could you find out how much more Uga had to pay Herchel to outbid Clemson. Some things never change. If you want to win then you need the best players. The best players don’t come cheap. If Auburn did pay 200 grand for Cam then it was money well spent. This season has provided me with much enjoyment and fond memories. If you don’t pay and provide extra benefits you don’t win in this league. Just ask Vandy. The benders of the rules win. If you follow the rules you lose. I don’t expect the top college players to be graduates. I expect them to wim games and provide entertainment for the graduates. ” War Eagle “
Ironic
November 12th, 2010
11:26 am
Anyone remember who the big loser in the recent USC case? Auburn went undefeated in 2004 but was shut out of the BCS game. USC wins and Reggie Bush takes the Heisman. 5 years later, USC gives up the title and Reggie gives up the Heisman. Auburn got screwed. How weird that Auburn may be in a position to win the national title and Newton the Heisman, and then possibly give them all back in a few years. Not saying that’s what will happen, just an interesting scenario that may play out.
CoachMan
November 12th, 2010
11:27 am
Mr. Bradley maybe you haven’t paid your taxes so you should stop writing articles. At this point these are just allegations so he SHOULD continue to play. these c
Auburn Fan
November 12th, 2010
11:27 am
Mark, this is proof enough for me to know you have a bias against Auburn: http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/08/26/the-secs-most-obnoxious-fans-theres-a-new-orange-no-1/ Your assertion that AU fans are the worst is ridiculous. But that’s not what we’re talking about today.
Until someone can PROVE with REAL evidence — not hearsay and innuendo, that AU is wrong, then everything that has happened really does come across as a smear campaign. If I was in the media, I would be more upset with the way your colleagues have handled this whole situation. Thayer Evans is a joke and you know that. He has a history of poor, incendiary, misleading reporting. Anyone who doesn’t know about his history, I suggest you do some research on his character. And while we’re talking about lack of character, let’s not forget Kenny Rogers, the one who was the genesis of everything.
As an AU fan, wins without integrity mean nothing to me. I truly hope the truth comes to light and AU is found to have done nothing wrong. I want a program I can be proud of. And so it’s very frustrating to see the allegations without any evidence.
Mark, you want AU to hold Newton accountable. You know what I want? For you to hold yourself and your colleagues in the media accountable.
Jim Pierce
November 12th, 2010
11:27 am
John Zenor of the ASSOCIATED PRESS reports that the SEC has since confirmed that it never received any information regarding alleged phone calls involving the Newtons. From Zenor’s AP report:
SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said Wednesday evening that there was also no mention of the reported conversations in either of the school’s reports to the league.
That’s more than just a minor detail. That’s the whole story.
Now we know why the SEC and NCAA never did anything about ESPN’s allegations that the Newtons were involved in phone conversations that would constitute major NCAA violations. The two organizations, contrary to Schad’s report, never knew about any such phone calls.
This of course also calls into question the veracity of the information provided ESPN by the “two people who recruit for Mississippi State.”
Information that, based on the serious nature of it, it isn’t unreasonable to expect ESPN to verify with the SEC – on or off-the-record – before publishing. Or, at the very least, sources outside the MSU football program.
Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said yesterday that only MSU coaches are allowed by NCAA rules to officially “recruit for Mississippi State.” So based on Schad’s characterization of his sources in his ESPN report, MSU coaches passed the ESPN reporter inaccurate information.
USC Song Girl
November 12th, 2010
11:28 am
If Reggie Bush had his Heisman taken away because of similar circumstance, then NO WAY can this Cam Newton guy be given a Heisman vote.
Bill P in Texas
November 12th, 2010
11:28 am
An AJC sports writer saying Newton should not play is pretty low. If he or Aub is guilty it will come out. So far nothing but cheap talk from cheap voices. play and see where the chips fall. Also, I read one commentary that Rogers didn’t take the “info” to MSU but to MSU boosters….seems pretty “strange”.
Frank Drackman
November 12th, 2010
11:28 am
I heard Mark Bradley got pulled over for DUI wearing women’s black and red panties
SECBob
November 12th, 2010
11:29 am
This writer has to be crazy! If Cam is ineligible, the whole season is shot! Taking Cam out for this game won’t make any difference.
LSUgrad
November 12th, 2010
11:29 am
Where is the tape recording and/or proof of money changing hands?
If it is proven that he is guilty, what happens to all of the victories. Especially, the victories against us at LSU.
robbo comeaux
November 12th, 2010
11:29 am
LSU is NOW 9 and 0 thanks CAM!!!!
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
11:29 am
Here’s a little story bout a man named Cam
He ruined Auburn’s rep, but he didn’t give a d@mn
Then one day he was gettin paid to play
cause He and daddy said screw the NCAA
Next thing you know ole Cam’s a millionaire.
He and daddy moved away from their.
The NFL is the place he’s gonna be.
and For the next ten years there was no TP on the tree.
Ace
November 12th, 2010
11:29 am
Home boy. When AU wins, they won no matter what.
drsoul
November 12th, 2010
11:31 am
Bottom line is the integrity of the Auburn Athletic Staff and School President…sure, go ahead and play him and penalize the rest of the HONEST scholar shippers… what a fraud to suggest that there is not something here….again, TOO MUCH SMOKE, not to be fire somewhere…of course, this goes back to the real integrity of the Auburn leadership does it not?????
Newnan Resident
November 12th, 2010
11:31 am
Supposedly, Cam Newton’s father told the Newnan City Council that he need more time when the code violations on the building became and issue. He also is supposed have said that his oldest son, Cecil Newton, Jr., was signing with a football team and he was expecting money from him. Has anyone interviewed the Newnan City Council members?
Ringleader
November 12th, 2010
11:31 am
Pat Dye will be named AU interim head football coach at 3 this afternoon.
Keep it down home cuz……..
AU FAN
November 12th, 2010
11:32 am
Ringleader- is there a conference this afternoon?
Jim Pierce
November 12th, 2010
11:32 am
Dr. Soul… PLEASE never sit on a jury. k?
goodorbad?
November 12th, 2010
11:32 am
press conference coming from AU this afternoon.
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
11:33 am
Sorry bout my grammar (there vice their) in my Camerly hillbillies song.
Paul Johnson can ........ really coach.
November 12th, 2010
11:33 am
Mark Bradley is correct again.
.
Go Jackets – Beat Miami !
AU FAN
November 12th, 2010
11:34 am
goodorbad?
Where did you get this info?? What source, website says there will be a press conference?
Jeff Gordon
November 12th, 2010
11:34 am
Auburn at this point is like a car being disqaulified with 3 laps to go in a Nascar race. You have run the whole race and they black flag you to the pits. You are not stopping now, might as well show everyone you won the race even though you cheated like hayul to get there.
g doss
November 12th, 2010
11:34 am
I couldn’t stop laughing as I read this article, as I know the author was smirking and snickering as he wrote it. What melodrama!
Buckeye
November 12th, 2010
11:34 am
Remember Tim (Verne gets a shiver every time he mentions my name) Tebow?
The over under on how long it takes to mention his name on CBS tomorrow is 3:33 PM. I’ll take the under.
21 unanswered in the first quarter tomorrow en route to Cam laying 50 on UGA.
Ealey is still a classless thug and likes to spit on opponents…
Programs…..get your programs…….B I R M I N G H A M B O W L programs!
Ted M
November 12th, 2010
11:34 am
Newton IS going to play. Lets beat him.
jsally
November 12th, 2010
11:35 am
So you want a 2 week internal investigation? Apparently the fact that the SEC and Auburn did a 6 month investigation and nothing was found does not matter? Additionally it is not a violation of the athlete’s eligibility if payment is sought by someone on their behalf but no payment received – read the NCAA rules. MSU on the other hand gets penalized for participating in the discussion.
Additionally if all of this is true why was nothing found by the SEC, Auburn or NCAA since January? Why did these supposed do gooders not come out until near the end of the season when any forfeit of wins by Auburn puts MSU back in the SEC west hunt and triggers Mullen’s incentives.
Frank Drackman
November 12th, 2010
11:35 am
Mark Richt offered me $180,000 not to report his kiddie porn collection, UGA ABSOLUTELY CANNOT LET MARK RICHT COACH ON SATURDAY, I DONT CARE HOW GREAT OF A COACH HE IS!!!!!
oh yeah, never mind, let him coach
75-76-DAWG
November 12th, 2010
11:35 am
Auburn probably didn’t do anything wrong except play an ineligible player. He became ineligible because of what happened at Mississippi State but Chizik knew there may be a problem but he also knew that Auburn was rebuilding their defense and they didn’t have a QB. So, he rolled the dice because Auburn was looking at a 6-6 record square in the face without a QB to counter a bad defense. This story got legs because Auburn is undefeated and Cam is at the top of the Heisman race.AUBURN IS REALLY TAKING A BIG GAMBLE FOR ONE YEAR OF GLORY.
If Auburn ends up screwed because of this I hope that the SEC will come down hard on them for their” WIN AT ANY COST ATTITUDE.” Mississippi State should have major sanctions put on it also if this proves to be valid. Every school in the SEC that is proud to be in the SEC should demand that Auburn and Mississippi State lose scholarships and no bowl games for many years and not get a share of the bowl revenue of the other schools.
Stanford Dollie
November 12th, 2010
11:35 am
jim thompson wrote: If you want to win then you need the best players. The best players don’t come cheap. If Auburn did pay 200 grand for Cam then it was money well spent. This season has provided me with much enjoyment and fond memories. If you don’t pay and provide extra benefits you don’t win in this league. Just ask Vandy. The benders of the rules win. If you follow the rules you lose. I don’t expect the top college players to be graduates. I expect them to wim games and provide entertainment for the graduates. ” War Eagle “
Are you for real?
Thank goodness a football team like Stanford — never been placed on any type of NCAA probation; graduates its football players; produces football icons like John Elway, Jim Plunkett, Pop Warner, and Bill Walsh; recruits articulate and bright student athletes to its beautiful, prestigious campus — is currently ranked in the top ten. It can be done. Just ask Stanford.
bradical
November 12th, 2010
11:35 am
Want all the latest dirt on Cam Newton:
http://www.chadgibbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/CAMESPN.jpg
It’s all here…the facts…laid out step by step.
Just Say'in
November 12th, 2010
11:35 am
Frank…What is your problem Dude?
Dawgsdawg
November 12th, 2010
11:36 am
I hope he plays, but Auburn is a very talented team without him.
BMDPD
November 12th, 2010
11:36 am
Buckeye, you are a DA. Tell you what…why don’t you beat an SEC team before coming here and running your mouth. 0 and 8, punk!
Dirty Dawg
November 12th, 2010
11:36 am
Hey auburn, whatayamean Georgia doesn’t like black quarterbacks? We’ve played ‘em when we’ve had ‘em, and played ‘em even when we wish we didn’t have ‘em – e.g., Quincy Carter. In fact, seems to me that we were using one of our two black QBs – the starter was hurt – back when you guys ‘hosed us down’ after that game ‘on the plains’…so don’t go there if you please – by the way we’ve got another young black QB on the way to Athens, do you have one coming to AU? Cause it’s for sure, one way or the other, Mr. Newton’s stay at Auburn is history after this season – regardless of when it ends for him.
WarEagle
November 12th, 2010
11:37 am
It all seems convenient timing. How didn’t this come out earlier in the season? As Cecil said “if God be a blessin, the devil be a messin”
I’m sure UGA doesn’t want us to play Cam. If we win this weekend, even if gets taken back, UGA still looses either way.