Cam Newton: As Scandal Ignites, Will Georgia Be His Last Game at Auburn?
The Cam Newton scandal seems to take new twists and turns with each passing day. What began as rumors that the quarterback had been offered to universities for a price during his recruitment out of junior college has turned into one of the biggest in-season scandals in recent memory.
We're breaking down all of the latest news on the quarterback's potential recruitment violations, and looking at whether this could be his last game as an Auburn Tiger.
How It All Began
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The Cam Newton saga began with John Bond, a former quarterback at Mississippi State. Bond claimed that he had received a call from a former teammate, since revealed as fellow former Bulldog Kenny Rogers, who claimed to represent the quarterback as he was being recruited out of junior college.
According to the report on ESPN, Rogers told Bond that he could guarantee that the talented quarterback could be guaranteed to sign with Mississippi State, if the price was right.
Bond claimed that he was told that Newton was being offered for $200,000 to other schools, but because the youngster liked Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen, he could be guaranteed to Mississippi State for just $180,000.
Bond said he immediately contacted Mississippi State Athletic Director Greg Byrne, who notified the SEC of the call. The SEC notified the NCAA, who started an investigation, according to ESPN.
Cheating at Florida?
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Around the same time that the allegations of requests for payment were revealed, FoxSports.com reported that Newton had been caught cheating at Florida, and that it was these academic violations, on top of theft charges, that helped usher Newton out of the Gator fold.
According to the report, Newton allegedly signed his name to a paper written by a different student and turned it in as his own. On a separate occasion, Newton turned in a second paper to the instructor, but it was alleged to have been purchased off the internet.
The Newtons Deny The Allegations
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When the allegations of payment demands surfaced, both Cam Newton and his father, Cecil, were asked about the claims.
In a move that surprised no one, both Newtons have denied any wrongdoing, according to a report on ESPN.com.
"If Rogers tried to solicit money from Mississippi State, he did it on his own, without our knowledge," Cecil Newton told ESPN.com. "I'm just trying to protect my son's interests, because he's fought very hard to get back where he is. It's a hell of a fight when people give up on you and think they'll never see you or hear from you again."
Meanwhile, Cam Newton has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, as has Auburn University.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
The Recruiters Speak
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Things took a turn for the worse for both Newton and Auburn when a pair of recruiters from Mississippi State alleged that a pay-for-play scheme had been discussed in two separate conversations between themselves and members of the Newton family.
According to the report on ESPN.com, one of the recruiters claimed that during a phone conversation with Cecil Newton, the quarterback's father told him it would take "more than a scholarship" to get Cam to come to Mississippi State. Cecil also reportedly referred the recruiter to a third party who would provide details of the potential transaction.
On top of this, a second recruiter described a conversation he had had with Cam Newton shortly after the quarterback announced his decision to attend Auburn.
Newton said he had wanted to attend Mississippi State, but his father had picked Auburn for him because "the money was too much", according to the report.
Kenny Rogers Speaks
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Kenny Rogers, the man alleged to have requested the money from John Bond, came forward to speak with ESPN Radio in Dallas about the allegations against Newton on Thursday.
Rogers claimed that Cecil Newton told him that it would take $100,000 to $180,000 to get his son to come to Mississippi State, according to the interview.
Rogers stated that when they approached Bulldogs coaches with the proposition, they were told ""No, no I don't want to hear that".
Cecil also reportedly told Rogers that Cam's recruitment was not going to be free this time, shortly after the quarterback had left Florida.
Rogers also mentioned Mississippi State booster and former player Bill Bell as the one who would have fronted the money to get Newton. Bell has gone on the record stating that he was asked for money by Cecil Newton and has met with NCAA investigators regarding the event.
According to the interview, Rogers stated that he only worked with the Newtons regarding Mississippi State, and had no contact with Auburn.
Can We Trust The Newtons?
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The Newtons have denied all allegations against them since the story broke last week. But can we trust them at their word?
It would seem that Cam has been an innocent bystander in much of this, but we'll get to him in a bit. The person who would appear most at fault in all of this is Cecil, Cam's father.
While Cecil has, like Cam, denied all wrongdoing, the evidence against him is pretty steep. With several people corroborating the story put forward by John Bond at the outset, the case against Cecil is very convincing.
Isn't it strange that despite reports that Mississippi State was favored to get Newton from the outset of his recruitment, but wouldn't pay Cecil to get him, while Auburn was the second choice, and Cecil chose them?
Isn't it odd that several people, including the agent involved, have all come forward and said that Cecil was demanding a cash payout from the school his son wanted to attend?
While I'm not saying Cecil Newton's a liar, I am saying that he's more or less the only one who's claiming that he didn't ask for money.
What Could Happen to Auburn?
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Right now, as things stand, the Auburn football program will be fine. For all we know, there is no concrete evidence that the Tigers or a booster paid Newton to play for them.
However, if evidence is revealed, and the Tigers continue to play Newton, things get ugly in a big hurry.
The NCAA prides itself on maintaining amateur status, and anything that violates that, or comes close to violating it gets severe punishment. If it's revealed that an Auburn booster paid Newton, the school would lose scholarships, forfeit every game the quarterback played, suffer a postseason ban and possibly more.
Should They Play It Safe?
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What should Auburn do? Should head coach Gene Chizik bench Newton until the investigation concludes? If they've done anything wrong, should they own up to it and sanction themselves, hoping to avoid retribution from above?
At this point, it's extremely tough to say, because we haven't gotten any indication of wrongdoing on Auburn's part, other than speculation. Obviously, someone at Auburn knows something regarding whether they did something wrong or not, but right now, the information available doesn't tell us anything.
Unless that begins to change, Auburn should continue to play Newton this season. They're national title favorites with Newton on the field, and odds are good that the investigation won't conclude before the season ends. By that point, Cam will be in the NFL and his father will be milking him dry over the table, rather than under it.
In short, play on for now, Auburn, but be ready to pull the plug.
What Could Happen To Cam?
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At this point, the person in the most danger is Newton. His Heisman hopes could go up in smoke with these allegations, and if he's suspended, he could very well see his NFL stock drop precipitously, considering the move towards character by many teams.
Newton could still be suspended during this season, although it's unlikely, and any records he sets at Auburn would be stricken from the books in wrongdoing is revealed later.
Why It's Not Fair
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That Newton is being treated as though he may have character issues, and could wind up suspended from all of this is the biggest tragedy in all of this.
Newton didn't ask his father to (allegedly) request payment for his signature. Given what we've seen of Cam's relationship to Cecil, he couldn't (or wouldn't) tell him to stop. Cecil Newton is clearly the one calling the shots, but he'll get little to no punishment for his errors. The one who gets the punishment is Cam, and perhaps Auburn down the road.
It's become more and more clear that Cecil Newton wanted to capitalize on his son's talent financially, and realized that he could do that earlier rather than later with this scheme. I'm not saying the reasons weren't good ones (fixing his church) just that the ends don't justify the means.
Don't punish Cam because his father wanted cash. Punish the school for paying, punish the father for not listening to his son and demanding an illicit payment for his son's services and punish Kenny Rogers for bringing the offer to the table. But, for once, let's not punish the player for something he didn't do.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
