Auburn Tigers Must Rule Cam Newton Ineligible or Face Severe Penalties

I've really enjoyed watching Cam Newton and his Heisman-caliber year.  Unfortunately, it's all for naught. 

The FBI is investigating sports bribery and the NCAA is trying to play damage control to a story that has gone viral and is terrible for college football.  Newton's adversaries are dropping new stories to the press and putting a black eye on Auburn's favorite son.

Forget the Florida laptop and cheating scandal and the "money was too much" quote.  It all means nothing.

If his father, Cecil Newton, solicited funds from Mississippi State as reported by WSB-TV in Atlanta, then Cam is ineligible.  End of story. 

But wait a minute, Cecil was talking to alumni without Cam's knowledge.  The problem is Cam has repeatedly said he let his father make this decision.  So in effect, Cecil was acting on Cam's behalf.  What Cam knew doesn't matter.  He gave his authority to his father who made some bad choices.

According to NCAA rules, the solicitation by Cecil makes Cam ineligible.  Mississippi State knows it, Auburn knows it, the SEC knows it.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive stated last week we should not rush to judgement but he also indicated it was up to Auburn to declare Cam ineligible.  Once he stated it was Auburn's move, he was signaling that he was washing his hands and giving Auburn a chance to make it right.  Nothing from Auburn.

Cam is ineligible but all the proof is not in; there is enough for Auburn to bench Cam and do the right thing.  There is enough for ESPN's Mark Schlabach to say he can't vote for the Heisman since he is investigating this story. 

So there is a huge elephant in the room and everybody who has authority is trying to cover their tails because they know the outcome. The NCAA has said repeatedly that solicitation is against the rules.  Still nothing from Auburn. 

After the media frenzy was completely out of control, Slive said it was Auburn's responsibility to report, even though he has the authority to step in.  Because the SEC was negligent in their due diligence in this case from January to July, Slive has no choice but to make a statement pointing to someone else for the decision.  If the SEC would have investigated this case in July with a level of priority, Cam probably would have never seen the field in 2010.

But since the SEC didn't object, and Gene Chizik probably had very little knowledge of impropriety, the decision to play Cam was made by Gus Malzahn.  Now Chizik is being put in a very awkward position.

If he suspends Cam, then there is admittance to wrongdoing and winning against Alabama and the SEC Championship become less likely.  The BCS Championship game would not even be an option.

If he plays Cam, then he takes the chance that the university goes on probation, which means Chizik takes a huge financial penalty.  But Auburn can win out and once the games are played and the team in undefeated, Auburn would be the best team in 2010 and no NCAA officer can remove the visual of Chizik hoisting a trophy for a national championship.

It can all be solved by Chizik calling Cecil Newton and asking if he solicited money while Cam was being recruited.

An NCAA spokesperson said this week "knowingly playing an ineligible student-athlete could make a university ‘subject to harsher penalties down the road.’”

Until then, lawyer up.  There will be no winners when this story unfolds.