Cam Newton: Latest on NCAA Probe and Fan, Media and Auburn Reaction
Cam Newton is the biggest story in college football, hands down. If it's not for his breathtaking plays on the field, it's about the scandal that has surrounded him for almost two weeks now.
A lot of people close to the situation aren't saying too much, but news continues to come out about that situation. With that in mind, I've rounded up the latest that you need to know about Newton, Auburn and what people are saying about the situation.
There's reaction from the program, media members and fans and if you have any thoughts, make sure to leave them in the comments.
What do you think Cam Newton's ultimate fate will be?
Cecil Newton Admits to Soliciting Money?
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Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta is reporting that Cecil Newton, Cam Newton's father has admitting to asking a former Mississippi State player about under-the-table money.
However, he reportedly was very firm on the fact that no money ever changed hands between another party and himself over his son.
According to Mark Wynne, the investigative reporter from the station, Newton said his son is innocent and that his son or his wife never knew anything about the discussions involving money, along with Auburn, who he says was in the dark about the entire thing.
If this is true, it will be interesting to see what the public reaction is.
Auburn Has Not Hired Gene Marsh
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All it took was a tweet from Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports to start a discussion.
"Interesting note about Auburn. They have hired ex-NCAA exec Gene Marsh to work on Cam Newton issue. They intend 2 fight it all the way," Robinson tweeted on Saturday afternoon.
However, that is not exactly the case, as Marsh has not been hired by the university to deal with the Newton case, according to the Birmingham News. Marsh worked on the Michigan football case and it will be interesting to see if Marsh ever does get involved.
Gene Chizik's Sunday Press Conference
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When he took the podium for Sunday's conference with the media, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik made it clear he wasn't changing his mind about discussing the ongoing saga with his star quarterback any time soon.
"I'll take questions today based on any question that has to do with Cameron in the game last night," Chizik said to the media. "Otherwise, I have the same stance."
I don't blame him either. You have a team that's trying to win a national championship and he doesn't have the time to be discussing one player ad nauseum when there are other players he has to worry about.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Before Saturday's Game
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Before Saturday's game against Georgia, the big buzz around the program was if Cam Newton was going to play against the Bulldogs.
Teams like North Carolina and Alabama have sat players to try to avoid any NCAA sanctions that could possibly be handed down for their participating in the game, and things were stirred up a little bit more when the program refused to comment on his status.
However, Newton started and boy did he play against Georgia.
On the Field
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While Auburn got quite the run from Georgia on the field, Newton was more than up to the challenge.
Newton was 12-of-17 passing for 148 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. However, it was with his legs that the Heisman candidate did most of his damage. He ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers surged passed the Bulldogs in the second half.
It was an amazing performance by the best player in college football.
After the Game: Cam Newton
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After the game Cam Newton had, especially with everything going on around him, I'm sure the media in attendance wanted to talk to Newton.
Too bad that never happened.
Newton was not available after the game as the team did not make him accessible to reporters. It seems odd to keep your best player away from the media after a game like that but you can see why Auburn didn't want him to be bombarded with questions about his recruitment.
After the Game: Gene Chizik
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After the big victory against Georgia, head coach Gene Chizik would only take questions about the game and was asked about Cam Newton's importance to the program.
“I mean, there’s no question,” Chizik said. “He has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in SEC games, so just everything, whether it’s third-down conversions, what he means in the red zone, what he does in the red zone. He’s just a big part of our offense.”
Anyone watching the game on Saturday night saw why Newton was the far and away Heisman favorite before this whole scandal developed.
SEC Player of the Week
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For the fifth time this season, Cam Newton was named the SEC Player of the Week.
Newton became the first player to rush for 1,000 yards and throw for 2,000 in the same season in SEC history. Not even Tim Tebow did it. That says something about the year that Newton is having under center for Auburn.
It was a monster game by a monster of a player and he deserved the award, as anyone who watched that game on Saturday will tell you.
Media Reaction: Cam Newton Will Eventually Be Declared Ineligible
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The strongest statement on the Cam Newton has come courtesy of Clay Travis of FanHouse, who doesn't pull punches, saying the quarterback will be declared ineligible sooner or later.
"It might take 10 days, it might take two years, but the ineligibility ruling is coming," Travis writes. "No reasonable person can believe that Cecil Newton, Sr. didn't solicit funds from Mississippi State for his son to play football there. (Note, I'm not even considering whether or not Auburn paid anything for Cam's services. Even if the NCAA can never prove that—which it may one day be able to prove as well—there is no doubt that the Newton family's actions in relation to Cam's recruitment to Mississippi State are sufficient enough to rule him ineligible under NCAA rules).
"In the meantime Auburn fans can continue to bury their heads in the sand and blame everyone but the Newton family for the plague of Biblical proportions that is about to rain down on the Auburn Tigers football program. No one else has any blame here. Not the media reports that have been accurate, not the rival school that turned you in for playing an ineligible player, not anyone else. You can blame shift all you want, but ultimately your rationales are going to fail."
Pretty strong words right there.
Media Reaction: Auburn Needs to Open Up
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Auburn has done a good job of limiting access to Cam Newton and the program has said very little about the subject publicly.
This doesn't sit well with the Sporting News' Dave Curtis, who says Auburn needs to start talking about this and get the truth out there before it eventually comes out anyway.
"It’s time for more from Auburn, and from Cecil Newton, Cam’s father and the fulcrum around which all the craziness revolves. Call a press conference during the bye week, spill some guts, and take questions. The truth will emerge eventually. It’s better for so many if it emerges now."
If Auburn has nothing to hide, there's no reason not to talk. Right?
Media Reaction: Cam Newton Has Mastered the "Non-Denial Denial"
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Cam Newton hasn't spoken much to the media since this entire scandal broke, but when he has talked, it's raised the eyebrows of the New York Daily News' Ebenezer Samuel.
"On Wednesday, the kid delivered a statement that's more baffling than any play he might call at the line of scrimmage: 'I'm not going to entertain something that took place not three months, not six months, not a year but two years ago. I'm not going to sit up here and say anything about it, whether I did or did not do it, because I don't want to beat a dead horse talking about it. It's not going to affect me in any way, shape or fashion.'
"Really, it sounded like a non-denial denial remix, part McGwire ignoring the past, part Fleischer-esque randomness, part one of those words that would get The Score's mouth washed out with soap if we ever said it out loud. Sure, it's possible that everything he said is true. In fact, it's highly likely, given that he managed to say a lot and not much all at once."
Some of it has been perplexing to say the least, but you need to remember this is a college kid, not a grown man.
Fan Reaction: Tigers' Fans Worried About Newton
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The Associated Press talked to those within the Auburn community and some of the people are worried about having this amazing run of a season taken off of the books by the NCAA.
"I am absolutely worried," Earl Lambert, a 1972 Auburn graduate, said. "I think there are some sinister forces working in the background and this would ruin such a magical season."
The students on Auburn's campus, who love Newton—who jumps into the student section after wins—talked about what he means to the program and the school.
"Cam is huge to us," Auburn senior Jake Blackstock said. "Auburn's always been kind of real straightforward and no pizazz, and Cam brings a lot of energy to it. We've always had energy but it's not a visible kind of display like it is now."
Coming to Newton's defense was his high school basketball coach, Darron Rogers, who believers there's a conspiracy against Newton, to try and sink him and rain on his parade.
"I just think it's a lot of hate going on, and I think that Cameron and his parents are innocent," Rogers said. "It's just a lot of people who don't want him to win and are trying to throw dirt on one of the greatest football seasons in the history of the NCAA."
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
