Cam Newton and the NCAA: Improper Benefits in College Football

Every college football fan knows about the Cam Newton controversy. Despite the allegations against Cam’s father—and the NCAA’s confirmation that Cecil Sr. actually did try to solicit six figures for his son’s commitment—the Auburn quarterback ran away with the Heisman trophy last Saturday. Cam has played at a level beyond his peers this year, so if we’re assuming he’s innocent, then he deserves the recognition.

But can we talk about how quickly the NCAA overruled the initial declaration of Newton’s ineligibility? It’s pathetic, and it’s helped me to learn the following two lessons:

1. It’s okay to solicit payment for your son’s matriculation to play for your football program, as long as the son doesn’t know about it, and as long as no cash actually changed hands.

No, wait—as long as the son doesn’t admit that he knew about it, and as long as we can’t prove that cash changed hands. Look, I’m not saying that Cam knew about it, and I imagine if Cecil ever did receive any payment, someone would’ve found out, so that probably didn’t happen either.

But don’t ticket scalpers get in trouble for attempting to sell their tickets to undercover cops for an illegal price within a certain illegal distance from a stadium? Don’t drug dealers get in trouble for trying to sell their “goods” to undercover cops?

By overruling Auburn’s decision to declare Cam Newton ineligible, the NCAA has set the precedent that pimping your son to football programs is okay, as long as you don’t get caught. It won’t take long for parents out there to find ways to do this for their blue-chip recruits without being found out by officials. I’m trying to think of a better example of a failed attempt to send a message and set a standard...Still trying.

2. The NCAA really is full of crap.

Remember how quick officials were to disqualify Reggie Bush after finding out about his acceptance of improper benefits? Remember how they vacated the Heisman trophy for the 2005-2006 season? Remember how all those players from the University of North Carolina’s football team were declared ineligible before the season started?

It seems like in the offseason, the NCAA is firm, bold, strict and prudent in enforcing their rules around improper benefits for amateur athletes. But when it’s in the heat of the regular season, when the allegations of illegal activity surround today’s face of college football, the leading Heisman trophy candidate (and eventual winner) and when the No. 1 (No. 2 in some polls) team in the country’s undefeated season is at stake, then all of a sudden the NCAA demands more concrete evidence.

I said it earlier—it’s pathetic.

It’s like changing the rules in the middle of the game because the rule might affect you adversely. If Auburn had a few losses and/or Cam Newton wasn’t in the Heisman race, I highly doubt the NCAA would’ve rushed to his defense the way it did the first week of December when his own school declared him ineligible.

It’s an obscene double-standard that has taught us this: When there’s a lot at stake and a lot of money to be gained or lost by the NCAA, the rules can be bent.  

I just don’t believe that Cam is innocent. There’s no way of knowing unless he admits it—which he won’t—but it just seems pretty unlikely. Also, I don’t know the ins and outs of the NCAA recruiting rulebook, but I just can’t believe that Cam’s involvement in the situation is permissible.

Let’s compare: Cam Newton is ruled eligible after the NCAA determines that his father was asking for $100,000 to $200,000 from college athletics programs for his son’s commitment to play; a freshman running back at Southern Cal is ruled ineligible for one game for accepting a free golf cart ride across campus.

Something’s not right; either the rules are enforced unevenly, or the rules themselves are ridiculous, which explains why it’s so easy for players to break them. This leads me to another point regarding improper benefits in the NCAA.

3. I think everyone’s doing it.

Well, maybe not everyone, but I believe most star players have broken some kind of rule, whether it’s as minuscule as a golf cart ride or as egregious as Reggie Bush’s acceptance of thousands of dollars worth of donations, housing, transportation, apparel, whatever.

I went to college at a major ACC football school. I saw athletes wearing clothes I couldn’t afford, driving cars and mopeds I couldn’t afford, rarely showing up to class but still passing and generally being treated like celebrities.

Honestly, if you can’t accept a ride across campus without being declared ineligible, then none of the athletes I knew were eligible. Heck, I wouldn’t be eligible if I were an athlete—I’ve accepted a free meal, accepted free clothing, accepted free rides, etc… everybody does!

And the most prized college football players don’t?

Please. I just refuse to believe that Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Troy Smith and Tim Tebow never received favors, gifts or something that would’ve made them ineligible. They just didn't get caught...yet.

My prediction in all of this? Improper benefits, gifts and payments in college athletics—particularly football—will be the next witch hunt in American sports. The sad successor to steroids in baseball.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Cam Newton were retroactively declared ineligible, and the Heisman trophy vacated for the second time in five years. (You know, after he was declared eligible during the season and the ratings and attendance remained high for the national championship game and other bowls.)

The witch hunt already started at the beginning of this year—the “he said, she said” finger pointing that resulted in UNC wiping out three quarters of its starting defense, among other declarations of rule-breaking nationwide.

Over the next few years, stories about improper benefits in college football will dominate SportsCenter the way that steroids, Tiger Woods and Brett Favre have in the past five. When it’s all done, it’s possible that coaches, players and agents will finally start to behave.

But the NCAA needs to clean up its act the most. Make the rules consistent, enforce them fairly in all situations and most importantly, make all of the rules sensible. When a player can’t accept the occasional small favor, things are starting to get absurd.