Oh, about that ‘Cam Newton tape’: Not so fast, my friends
Can anyone "authenticate" that this is actually Cam Newton? (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Yesterday we noted that Scott Moore, an Alabama entertainer, has been saying he has heard audio tapes of Cecil Newton talking about money in exchange for his famous son’s amateur services. We also noted that Moore has indicated the tapes could prove Cecil Newton’s famous son Cam had been privy to such discussions.
Today, via Sports Radio 97.7 The Zone in Huntsville, we learn that Moore isn’t sure of … well, of much of anything. From SportsByBrooks’ transcription of Moore’s appearance on Cole Cubelic’s morning show:
I’ve heard a voice on that tape that said there’s an offer for $180,000 from Auburn and this is Cecil Newton … This is what I’ve been told was Cecil Newton. I’ve never heard Cecil talk before … but I was told by those guys [Mississippi State boosters John Bond and Bill Bell] that this was Cecil talking and Kenny Rogers [another Mississippi State figure] is on these tapes as well. I’m going based on what I’ve heard.
Then this:
I’m going to play this [alleged Newton tape] on the air [of Moore's own radio show] and we’re going to talk about this on the air; then let’s get that voice authenticated.
I believe I can speak for all of us when I say: The man wants to put something on the air before having it authenticated? And he wants us to take him seriously?
Oh, and we should also note that SportsByBrooks, which does nice work, is reporting that a source “indicated that Bond and Bell have no audio file or tape containing the voice of Cecil Newton.”
Only in Alabama, kids. Only in Alabama.
By Mark Bradley
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196 comments Add your comment
Jess
March 2nd, 2011
9:46 pm
SEC Fan,
is this your real name?
Jim
March 2nd, 2011
9:58 pm
Stay tuned folks, it is Auburn and the “Barners” are in deep doo-doo again and they know it. Newton is an issue, but more smoke than fire. The other shoe will drop with a resounding THUD!
2smartjones
March 2nd, 2011
10:19 pm
Jim – LOL! You’re funny!!!
WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!
bs
March 2nd, 2011
10:35 pm
“This whole Cam Newton saga is the strangest tale in SEC annals”
Mark, I agree, This whole Cam Newton saga is the strangest anal in SEC’s tale………………..
MikeP
March 2nd, 2011
10:50 pm
GT GRAD
March 2nd, 2011
7:37 pm
“He AND his dad are more than likely guilty……….this is the primary reason why he left early for the NFL; if he stayed and was suspended due to NCAA findings, his NFL stock would have plummetted!”
So he should have stayed when he’s just won the Heisman, a national championship and will be a first-five draft choice? For Cam to stay in college would have been crazy.
MikeP
March 2nd, 2011
10:55 pm
Jim
March 2nd, 2011
9:58 pm
“Stay tuned folks, it is Auburn and the “Barners” are in deep doo-doo again and they know it. Newton is an issue, but more smoke than fire. The other shoe will drop with a resounding THUD!”
Jim me lad, you’ve been reading too much fan-fiction,. There is no other shoe. In this case, from the start it’s been “where there’s smoke, there’s somebody blowing smoke”.
14-0, National Champs, SEC Champs, Heisman winner, Lombardi winner, Broyles Award winner, Coach of the Year winner, It just doesn’t get any better than that!
It’s Great To Be An Auburn Tiger!
Trailer trash
March 2nd, 2011
10:58 pm
Does any body else find it funny to here a auburn fan call a bama fan trailer trash? Don’t y’all all live in the trailer park and sleep with your cousins? Just open up people from Alabama. Admit the reason y’all hate each other is because y’all are fighting over each others sister!
The Money's Too Much
March 2nd, 2011
11:02 pm
Ever notice how Auburn fans never say that Cam wasn’t paid. They just say that “you have no proof that Cam was paid”. This is the same defense that OJ had. And we know what eventually happened to him! They’ll get theirs. Don’t worry. Justice always prevails in the end.
Dawg fan
March 2nd, 2011
11:08 pm
Mark Bradley loves to keep trouble stirred up! If he is not bringing up the “newton” file he is trying to get coach richt fired or the basket ball coach at tech. Mark how would you like it if your bloggers tried every day to get you fired? Try finding something good to investigate about local teams from Georgia or Alabama and look into how these coaches may be impacting the kids lives positively. All news does not have to be bad news!
MikeP
March 2nd, 2011
11:32 pm
Cam Newton wasn’t paid. Cecil Newton wasn’t paid. The NCAA said so, Auburn officials said so and I said so.
Justice has already prevailed. Hard work and great coaching brought Auburn a National Championship.
War Eagle, ALL IN!
hwb
March 2nd, 2011
11:45 pm
SSIgator
“he doesnt even NO how to read”
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
priceless. you don’t NO how to spell!
all you college fans are idiots. i happened to catch the first couple of auburn games. that kid was so awesome, i made sure to watch the rest of them, and they did not disappoint. the rest of you are just jealous.
by the way, florida did not not kick him out.
Sports Review
March 3rd, 2011
12:26 am
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Carlton
March 3rd, 2011
12:26 am
Yes-Cam Newton wasn’t paid and Cecil wasn’t paid-but they both ASKED for payments..crazy, huh?
2smartjones
March 3rd, 2011
12:42 am
WAR EAGLE!!!
2010 BCS CHAMPS!!!
steve garner
March 3rd, 2011
2:09 am
How can a source know that you “DON”T HAVE SOMETHING”. I mean alot of people can claim to know that I HAVE something (because they have either seen me with it, gave it to me to start with, etc). but I really don’t know how they can prove I don’t HAVE something ( unless it was good looks they claimed I didn’t have….then again I always have my mother to disprove that as well) (g)
Cecil Newton
March 3rd, 2011
7:52 am
I think Mark has a crush on Cam Newton.
how2fish
March 3rd, 2011
8:20 am
I hope UGA/Bama and UT all beat Auburn by 100 points a game for the next 30 years…however until there is any PROOF regarding CAMGATE..my hat is off to them and the 2010 NC and SEC title.if anyone ever has any proof we can discuss this then till then this is a dead issue…come on Spring Ball.
DC
March 3rd, 2011
8:35 am
Lets be honest….AU would have beaten UGA even without Cam…they sucked last year! You bitter bitter UGA fans….Like some posters have said before seems UGA fans want to live in a communist country…
Columbus Dawg
March 3rd, 2011
8:54 am
I think DA would be a better handle there moron. Which QB on Auburn’s roster do you think could have provided a comeback strong enough to have beaten UGA in 2010? What a delusional idiot. Georgia sucked in 2009 as well, but were good enough for another victory over the hapless Tiggers. Auburn is and always will be legends in their own minds.
DC
March 3rd, 2011
8:59 am
Ya never know CD, your defense was worse than ours when we played…stop crying..how am I delusional?…what was your record this past year? What was ours? besides I think if we didn’t have Nick Fairely we don’t go undefeated this past year…Cam was the man..but Nick made things happen IE THE BAMA GAME AND THE BCS NC GAME…where we became “legends in our own mind”
Mike T.
March 3rd, 2011
9:07 am
@DC
Lets be honest—- before last year, Georgia won four in a row over the War Eagles.
Oh that is the official Auburn yell? then why do they have that bird flying around the stadium?
Mike T.
March 3rd, 2011
9:11 am
I guess when the other shoe drops, Gene Chizik will go back to Iowa St.
Columbus Dawg
March 3rd, 2011
9:23 am
Auburn orchestrated many second half comebacks in 2010 because of quarterback Cameron Newton’s play. UGA’s chances of pulling it out would have been better than average without the play of quarterback Cameron Newton. Go back and review the film of the game, DA. What is so funny is that there are so many bugs under the rug at Auburn right now, that the recruitment of quarterback Cameron Newton may not even have to come into play for AU to get slapped by the NCAA. My bet will be that even if Judge Capel rules in the defense attorny’s favor about the wiretaps about the gambling issues, that the tapes with the evidence against Auburn football will still come out since the NCAA can rule on it’s findings against member schools without the same scrutiny as a court of law in wiretap cases.
Columbus Dawg
March 3rd, 2011
9:23 am
Auburn orchestrated many second half comebacks in 2010 because of quarterback Cameron Newton’s play. UGA’s chances of pulling it out would have been better than average without the play of quarterback Cameron Newton. Go back and review the film of the game, DA. What is so funny is that there are so many bugs under the rug at Auburn right now, that the recruitment of quarterback Cameron Newton may not even have to come into play for AU to get slapped by the NCAA. My bet will be that even if Judge Capel rules in the defense attorny’s favor about the wiretaps about the gambling issues, that the tapes with the evidence against Auburn football will still come out since the NCAA can rule on it’s findings against member schools without the same scrutiny as a court of law in wiretap cases.
Dead Trees at Toomers Corner
March 3rd, 2011
9:26 am
When is Miss State going to be put on probation by the NCAA? The fact that BOOSTERS (in the form of Bell and Bond) at Miss State were deeply involved in the recruiting of Cam Newton is a clear violation of the rules. This is the only actionable information that has come out of this whole deal. Everything else is speculation.
Why would reputable media outlets like 680 The Fan and the AJC let an admitted Alabama cheerleader/apologist like Moore have 1 second of airtime if he is not prepared to show up with his “tape” and let it rip? Bell and Bond have gotten their own school in trouble, and now they are just being used by the Tide-biased media in the state of Alabama to further the agenda of the Tide.
Georgia Auburn
March 3rd, 2011
9:28 am
As for you (alleged) Georgia fans throwing Auburn under the bus, you are better than that, so please cross back over to the sunny side of the street. Maybe you have not been around long enough to appreciate the special relationship between the two schools. Georgia and Auburn have had a great rivalry for a long, long, long time. Every Auburn fan that I know cheers for Georgia except that one week of the year. Most Georgia fans that I know feel the same way about Auburn.
I know this too – if some nut poisoned the hedges at Samford Stadium, Auburn fans would be just as outraged as Georgia fans would be. The SEC is about classic, long standing rivalries and appreciation/respect for each schools traditions. (Yes, even those cow bells at Miss State). The game day experience at each SEC school is fantastic and unique. ESPN understands this and that is why they keep showing SEC matchups on their Saturday night telecast, because an electric atmosphere is guaranteed and it makes for good television.
MikeP
March 3rd, 2011
9:50 am
“I guess when the other shoe drops, Gene Chizik will go back to Iowa St.”
But since there is no other shoe. Chizik keeps right on whuppin’ bamzos and curs on the way to many more championship seasons.
There is nothing, anywhere, to indicate this deal is not over. The only other thing out there is a few desperate, jealous rival fans that are gullible enough to believe what some sophomore creative writing major posted on a website that is famous for inaccurate BS.
I really used to think that UGA, at least, provided their graduates with skills at critical thinking before they were awarded a degree. Of course, they might and all these conspiracy theorists posting on blogs never took a class at Georgia.
The Money's Too Much
March 3rd, 2011
10:02 am
The truth is that Auburn folks know that Cam was paid. And others were too. That’s why you see them here trying to defend the indefensable. I hope they get to keep their trophy and their name in the NCAA record book. It’ll remind college football fans from all over the country of what transpired in ‘10. And it’ll give teams playing AU a little more fire.
What’s important is that AU is tainted (retainted I should say) forever for all of this mess. They’ve been exposed, yet again, for the kind of program that they run. The Milt McGreggor trial still looms and lots will come out of that. Whether they nail AU on the Cam Newton thing is still undecided. But in the court of public opinion, the verdict will always be “guilty”. Just like in the OJ trial.
Tiger mania
March 3rd, 2011
10:14 am
Cam or auburn knew nothing about any of this—it was all set up by alabama and florida fans to get Auburn in trouble. Auburn should sue everyone who is making up all these stories about payments.
Gregg T
March 3rd, 2011
10:16 am
SSIgator throws a lot of stones about Cam. Let’s see, the gators don’t sign thugs, Cam is a thug, the gators sign Cam, the gators don’t play thugs, the gators play Cam. Do gator fans always think it’s fine to have it both ways?
Ten@10: Major recruiting scandals threaten college football | AJC College Sports Recruiting
March 3rd, 2011
10:30 am
[...] columnist Mark Bradley weighed in on this in blogs on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Understandably, Bradley remains skeptical about Moore, who has declined to release the tapes until [...]
Scott Moore - March 3rd
March 3rd, 2011
10:38 am
McCarter: Huntsville radio host Scott Moore promises to soon play ‘incriminating’ recordings from Newton case
Published: Thursday, March 03, 2011, 8:05 AM
By Mark McCarter, The Huntsville Times
Print HUNTSVILLE, AL. — In some ways, this looms as something more poisonous than anything Harvey Updyke, the Alabama fan and would-be tree-killer, allegedly spread under the oaks at Toomer’s Corner.
AP Photo/Dave MartinControversy continues to bubble over Cam Newton’s recruitment
There are recordings that are, in a word, “incriminating” that Scott Moore has heard and he promises to soon play on his Huntsville radio show.
There are recordings, he said, that will enable everyone to make their “own determination” about the Cam Newton play-for-pay scheme that allegedly was concocted by his father, the Rev. Cecil Newton.
While Moore said he never heard Cam Newton’s voice on the recordings, he has heard, “There’s also the indication that Cam knows what’s going on.”
The recordings, Moore hinted, may have an even broader impact.
“Based on what I know, I believe Cam Newton (for) Auburn in this situation is the least of their worries,” Moore said. “I really do.”
In a 30-minute interview with The Times on Wednesday before his “Scottie W. and Redfish Show” on WZZN The Zone, Moore said that the recordings made his long-time friend John Bond, the former Mississippi State quarterback, and MSU booster Bill Bell also implicate the University of Tennessee during Lane Kiffin’s tenure as head coach.
Bond and Bell were allegedly approached by Cecil Newton during his son’s recruitment, claiming the family had received financial incentives to play elsewhere. Bond promised on Moore’s show Wednesday night to provide a “snippet” of a recording.
“There’s some other stuff that will come out in the coming weeks that might set the ecord straight a little bit,” Moore said. “There’s some things I have not heard, some things that I’m supposed to hear that will tie all this together.”
Moore said that former Florida coach Urban Meyer was the whistleblower, according to what the NCAA told Bond. Said Moore, “Urban made the call and The New York Times acted on it.”
There is much in the puzzle, especially Moore’s piece of it, about which one can be skeptical.
This doesn’t feel like it’s all about truth, justice, the American way and the First Amendment. It’s easy to see issues of credibility and bias.
He is an unabashed Alabama fan who was wearing warmup pants with the school logo as he went on-air Wednesday night. “I love Alabama. I always have. But I don’t have a hatred of Auburn,” he said.
Moore, a radio veteran, is starting a new show in a new city, at a relatively new sports station trying to find a toehold in this marketplace.
He claimed “this is not a smear campaign against (Auburn), although one has certainly been waged against me this week. That’s part of the territory, I reckon.”
So why is he doing this? What’s in it for him?
“I’m not doing it for the radio show,” Moore said.
“I’m not out to destroy anybody,” he continued. “I don’t want to see Auburn University destroyed. I don’t have a vendetta against Auburn University. I’m just reporting on a story that’s now mushroomed into one of the biggest stories in college football history.”
He talked of “authenticating” the recordings through an independent source to enable him to play them “without a shadow of a doubt.” They are digital files, less susceptible to tampering.
Some have suggested that Moore, a talented mimic who impersonates various coaches during shows and speeches, created the voices himself, a charge he strongly denied.
When I asked about some authenticating before making some of his recent public claims, and if they aren’t as damning as any tape would be, he responded, “I’m basing (comments) on what I’ve heard and what I’ve been told.”
Whether he currently is in possession of any digital files, he said “I can’t confirm or deny that.”
As his show came on the air, a disclaimer was played. It was the standard stuff, assuring that station management wasn’t responsible for opinions expressed, etc., etc.
Then, there was this snippet of recording:
“Listen,” it said, “at your own risk.”
Columbus Dawg
March 3rd, 2011
10:44 am
Auburn University has been sited as being the third most penalized team in the history of the NCAA. This is a fact, not a conspiracy. Auburn was voted by sportswriters as being the number one team in the America after the 1957 season. Auburn University was not allowed to prove this in a bowl game because it had been placed on probation. This is a fact, not a conspiracy. After having won several SEC Championships in the 1980’s, Auburn’s football program was placed on major probation, and then Coach Pat Dye was prohibited from the program for seven years. This is a fact, not a conspiracy. There are reasons why it is easier to prosecute repeat offenders. A jury is made up of human beings. Granted, most Americans who are called to serve on a jury profess to be fair, and only base their opinions on facts. If you appear before a judge on a traffic violation, or some other other simple charge where a jury is not warranted, and are a first time offender, that judge is likely to be a little less harsh on you than if you have a red light violation and a couple of speeding tickets on your record before you go in front of him.
Auburn University and it’s denying nation of blind supporters have no one to blame but themselves and it’s history of factual violations and punishments for the scrutiny being leveled at them from people all over the country, not just Georgia and Alabama fans as most of the Auburn people would have you believe. It is all going to hit the fan on Auburn. The NCAA spokesperson interviewed before Christmas said that she thought it would be about another eleven months or so before Auburn would be hammered, and I’ll guarantee you that she had some good reasons for having given an opinion on a time line on this to a media outlet. Auburn may have one more sanction free season before the crap hits the fan, and if the rumors surrounding all of the allegations tied to the BingoGate wiretaps are anywhere near as damning as they sound, especially the parts about the money laundering, then Auburn University as a whole may in for a very, very terrible future.
The Money's Too Much
March 3rd, 2011
11:18 am
Columbus Dawg, your observations are very astute and you articulate them very well. I wish AU could view itself as the nation views it.
I’ve said many times that I congratulated UF, Bama, and LSU for their NC’s. And I would love nothing more than to congratulate another SEC brother for another trophy. It reinforces the fact that the SEC is the most powerful football conference in the country. But the Auburn *NC does not make me proud as an SEC fan. And I will not congratulate the school for what they’ve done as I find it an embarrassment to the SEC.
Pat Dye, Bobby Lowder, Cam and Cecil Newton, Milt McGreggor, Eric Ramsey, the Psychology class scandal, (these are the public ones!) are the recent history of AU. You’d think someone at that university would step in and say that they’ve had enough and clean the program up. Right now AU is a football team with a school attached. Until that changes, AU will continue to be the laughing stock of the nation.
Erskine
March 3rd, 2011
12:42 pm
Now that Auburn can roll its own trees, will they start keying their own cars and egging their own houses?
What a bunch of idiots.
bertha butt
March 3rd, 2011
12:45 pm
Mark, why you keep defending the Troglodytes at Auburn?
Lol
March 3rd, 2011
12:56 pm
Good one Erskine!
patrick
March 3rd, 2011
1:00 pm
I like how you end this piece with only in Alabama. Seriously! any state that has a rivalry like this would act the same. USC UCLA? UGA GT? Texas Texas AM? Especially when the two schools won the last two NCs.
how2fish
March 3rd, 2011
1:19 pm
I hate this but I agree with patrick ! His 1pm post is spot on !
trupert
March 3rd, 2011
1:27 pm
We all need to keep these things in proper perspective. Everyone needs to be patient and realise that it’s gonna take some time to uncover the truth about the latest pay for play $cam at Auburn.
If pay for play was a sport Auburn would be in a league of their own, because after five decades of practice, well, they are in a league of their own and they know what they’re doing when it comes to bribes, payoffs, and all things involved. WDE!
lovesports
March 3rd, 2011
1:28 pm
look at all the racists and bigots coming out the woodwork like roaches on these message boards. LOL!!! Pathetic coach riders.
Oh and this “tape” is bull. Where was this “smoking gun”. Translation: these bubba’s FAIL at blackmail.
Vince Dooley's Ego
March 3rd, 2011
1:36 pm
Uh “trupert” did you miss the Albert MEANS CASE? Let me refresh your memory about an Alabama booster paying 200k for a player to sign with the Tide? Or are you just willfully ignorant?
jedd m.
March 3rd, 2011
1:40 pm
lovesports – wow, you’ve got to be in the top 1% of living idiots. what has been racist and bigoted? Because cam is black? Obama is half-black and he’s a terrible president. Does that make every citizen who doesn’t like what he’s doing to the current a half-racist?
You are a moron of historic proportions.
Erskine
March 3rd, 2011
1:41 pm
VDEgo – right, i remember that. i also remember how upset the barners were about it. Don’t be a hypocrite. Cam and his half-assed-preacher daddy are guiltier than the fat kid next to the empty pizza box.
DaMan
March 3rd, 2011
1:44 pm
You UGA fans are hilarious….you talk about the disgrace of the program…..are you so stupid that you do not understand that the whole country looks at UGA as a bunch of thugs (13 arrests, stomping on the field in the UF game, etc…) and your AD getting caught with a 20-something female and red panties in his lap…..so before you start talking about Auburn and your obvious obsession over our program, take a look at your own program, your jealousy is very transparent…..your program is a disgrace to the SEC and the NCAA….by the way, how was Shreveport??? Glendale was awesome…..WDE…..
Not "Just A Tree"
March 3rd, 2011
1:49 pm
If Cam Newton was a white corn pone from Hicksville, AL, do you think there would be this kind of venom spewed in his direction? You thought Vick took some heat from the bigots around here? Cam is being subjected to a public lynching by “Dawg Fans” without one shred of evidence that he even knew about this. It would be like sitting on a jury & convicting someone before the defense even presents their case. No one from Auburn has even commented publicly because they can’t until the investigation is over. Does that seem fair to you? Nobody has even heard what exactly happened yet & they are already trying to give AU the death penalty! And don’t even start to say it’s not racially motivated because I have heard it first hand from friends calling him racial slurs I wouldn’t even repeat on here. What do you guys gain by ripping a 21-year old young man to shreds every day on these blogs?
trupert
March 3rd, 2011
2:09 pm
Wow! That was quite a response.
For those who are trying to sell that my remarks as racist, Auburn has been paying players for five decades and this was well before segregation. As far as I know, coach Jordon never payed a black player because there were no black players on the team, so make of that what you may.
Yes, I’m well aware of the Albert Means case at Alabama but that’s old news aside from the majic number of $ 200.000, I don’t see why you would bring that up to a UGA fan on a UGA site. Yes we know that Bama has a checkered passed also.
I have and will continue to point out that Alabama is dirty for oversigning, just so you barners don’t feel like you’re being picked on. Only in Alabama.
DaMan
March 3rd, 2011
2:54 pm
trupert, and UGA is squeaky clean, right? It’s funny that when your team (UGA) has an embarrassing year (only 1 win against a team with a winning record by the way) that you start lashing out on other programs, etc…..nothing to say about the 13 arrests, huh? Didn’t think so….And your comments about Auburn paying players for over 5 decades, where do you get that from….any source or did you just make it up? Booked your hotel in Shreveport for 2011 yet?
trupert
March 3rd, 2011
3:07 pm
DaMan, this is for you and all those Auburn fans that like to blindly defend a team and culture that you don’t even know the history of.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/584912-auburn-football-over-50-years-of-buying-success-and-violating-ncaa-rules
DaMan
March 3rd, 2011
3:15 pm
trupert, you’re missing the point…..I know the history of Auburn, I’m a third generation Auburn Alumni, but my point was when UGA has 13 arrests and a 6-7 season and a loss to UCF (ouch!), you start bringing up 50 year old data…….and ignoring your own problems……you may want to start focusing on trying to have a winning season instead of Auburn paying a guy $73 back in 1963……no comment on your thugs and the stellar arrest record at UGA??? Red panties anyone?