The worst part about a story like this–
No, wait, not the worst part. The worst part is knowing your football team is 10-0 and has an excellent chance to snap a four-game losing streak against their oldest rivals Saturday, but you still wake up terrified to find out what might have been written about them since the last time you checked. The knot in your stomach as you open your browser–that’s the worst part. For now, anyway.
But another bad part is how quickly things change. I’d tried to find the time to write something Tuesday afternoon, but, you know, new job and baby and all. It would have been a post almost snarlingly defiant; five or six days of digging, and the best the horde of reporters on the Newton trail could do was a crusty two-year old accusation of academic missteps at Florida? Really? The infuriating thing about the Evans hit piece was how utterly beside-the-point it was, but once the initial flash of anger had passed, that was also the pleasant thing about it. It meant nothing. Will’s effort to show it shouldn’t even be taken at its nonexistent face “value” is unquestionably appreciated, but I can’t say it was necessary. If that was all the legs the Newton story had to show for itself, it wasn’t going to walk very far.
So maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t get the post up, because it was just a few short hours before the news of the FBI involvement and the Schad report changed things. The particularly depressing thing about the FBI report is that it fit what I’d heard from a couple of people outside the Auburn circle I’d pinged: that there were plenty enough indications to fully believe the Newtons were on the take, but that hard evidence was hard to come by. Without subpoena power, neither the NCAA nor Auburn’s compliance department can check everything out, right? But the FBI can. This could be a problem.
Combine that with the Schad report –two gut punches after so much time watching the story twiddle its thumbs — and I wound up spending a lot of this morning thinking about Ockham’s razor. When I wrote my first post on Camgate, the vast distance between the information uncovered and “someone at Auburn paid the Newtons some vast sum of laundered money” seemed so great that the simplest, best explanation was that things began and ended in Starkville. At some point, though, there is too much smoke for there to be no fire. At some point, the simplest explanation for this much information pointing towards what we think of as the wrong conclusion is that the conclusion is accurate. Had we reached that point? I’ll be honest, WBE readers: as of this past morning, I was convinced we had.
But the day goes by, and I keep coming back to the one constant in this whole disastrous mess: that the people at Auburn who know the score better than virtually any of us, who have known this was an issue since July, for whom the Schad reveals were either old news or so poorly sourced that they aren’t weren’t bothering with (is that why an SEC spokesman apparently said they weren’t part of State’s original report on the matter, contrary to Schad’s report?) … those people are still emphatically behind Cam Newton’s innocence. As Phillip Marshall put it:
It’s a fact that Newton wouldn’t be playing for Auburn if there was any credible evidence against him. There is no gray area. If there was any evidence at all that he’d done anything wrong, he would not be playing.
A lot of people have assumed Auburn knows that Newton is ineligible and is just going all-in in an effort to win a couple of ill-gotten trophies before the hammer falls. But when you’re talking about a scenario with years and years of potential repercussions, that’s not how the game works, especially at a place like Auburn where history means NCAA allegations are things that cannot be taken likely. No one is any closer to the Auburn A.D. than P-Marsh; if he says this is a fact, it’s a fact. (Or something extremely close to one.)
But as As Matt Hinton pointed out, A.J. Green sat, Marcell Dareus sat, the UNC contingent sat, and Newton has played on. Why? The answer is that Auburn believes wholeheartedly that Newton is in the clear. When (is it even worth adding the “if”?) Cam Newton takes the field Saturday, we will be able to say with certainty that one of three things is true: either Auburn is correct and Newton is innocent of the allegations against him and his family, or they are lying through their teeth to the rest of the Auburn community, or they are so grossly negligent in their duty to investigate the MSU claims that they deserve to lose their jobs anyway.
We are Auburn. I know our history. So maybe it’s not accurate to say “We don’t cheat.” But that’s our history, our past; what Auburn is today, what Auburn ought to be, what Auburn is in the hearts and minds of those of us who love it, that Auburn–that Auburn does not cheat. I am taking and will continue to take our athletic leadership at their word that we have not cheated in the recruitment of Cam Newton.
But if that word is proven incorrect, there is going to be all kinds of hell to pay. And there damn well should be.
Some unfortunate housekeeping: I’m on the road most of the day Thursday and Friday, so I don’t think there’s going to be any post about Georgia. Sorry. I’ll tell you right now that I think we edge them assuming Newton plays … but that we all have a lot of nervous moments before the final whistle. Again. In lieu of more regular Auburn-centric posting, I’ve started moving some of my instant reaction to my Twitter feed and should have some sporadic updates over the next couple of days; give me a follow.
great write-up Jerry!
/megafacepaln
//endofpalm
I agree with H-G, and with you Jerry. I find it extremely hard to believe that Newton has continued to play if Auburn remotely believes he’s guilty of anything. I can’t believe he would have EVER seen the field. Especially in light of all of the other things that happened at the beginning of this season.
It’s hard to spin the “money was too much” comment with a lot of believability, IF that conversation actually happened (which, one writer pointed out, it’s hard to believe Cam was THAT stupid to say to a MSU coach), but the “more than just a scholarship is much easier. Cam’s dad was on the record a long time ago for saying he wanted Cam to go to Auburn because he didn’t want Cam to have to carry the team all by himself. So he could easily have meant that MSU would need to be able to provide other things, like other playmakers, better facilities, etc. and that just the ability to play football wouldn’t be enough. And then, again, the spin on the “money was too much” comment is still possible. I’ve never heard Cam speak enough to judge how he would word a phrase, but most people would say something like “they offered too much money” rather than “the money was too much.” So there is always the chance that, if it happened, he really was saying that the money was the straw that broke the camel’s back and decided them against MSU.
It’s important to note that none of the other schools have reported any improprieties in recruiting Cam. Now, it’s not like they’re going to implicate themselves in anything, but it does seem like if the Newtons were shopping around then the other schools would have noticed this, too. Particularly Oklahoma, who would have been a MUCH better choice of school in terms of football and winning history than MSU. So is it any surprise that MSU was looking at the fact that “it would take more than just a scholarship” to sign Cam? What did they have to offer compared to Auburn or, especially, an Oklahoma?
A lot of this stinks. And I mean REALLY stinks. Sure, it’s hurting Auburn. But I’m still standing behind Auburn and Cam Newton because I refuse to believe that both Auburn and the SEC knew about this as far back as July (whereas MSU knew about it much further) and did nothing about it and allowed Cam to play.
http://www.fanhouse.com/news/ncaafootball/chizik-declines-to-address-latest-report/1386633
Of course, then I read THIS article, which says that MSU didn’t report those two phone conversations to the SEC in July during their original report, so it’s hard to know what to think about that particular development.
The bottom line is still that if Auburn knows they did nothing wrong, then the matter is closed as far as Auburn is concerned. If the Newtons were soliciting anything from MSU, then it’s dirty as all get out, but no one can say or do anything about it, because they didn’t TAKE any money. The only thing that matters is what AUBURN has done… and if Auburn knows they didn’t provide Newton any extra benefits, then the only thing these allegations damage is Cam’s reputation and his chances at the Heisman. Otherwise, it’s all just a major distraction.
Walt, I agree with your forensic analysis regarding the parsing of the two out of context snippets that have been presented as “admissions” of being on the take. I don’t see them as admissions of anything.
.
The “more than a scholarship” quote would go to another quote I have read by Cecil Newton in which he stated his reasons for choosing Auburn over Miss. St. He said Auburn would have a senior O line, would be able to recruit better players to help Cam so he wouldn’t have to carry the team on his back, the fact that Malzahn was one of the best offensive coaches in college football, Auburn would have better facilities, and that he wanted a coach to take a real fatherly interest in his son.
.
The “money was too much” quote I have always interpreted exactly as you have. The talk of money was a bridge too far, that an exchange of money, hell, even just talking about money, would cause problems down the road, the sort of problems a kid who had just gone from Florida to a year of exile in the desert had just endured. The kind of problems he was trying to avoid in this attempt to remake himself into a better man.
Shock. Intrigue. Curiosity. Obsession. Sadness. Excitement. Disappointment. Joy. Embarrassment. Anticipation. Resignation. Anger. Happiness. Indignation. Pride. Depression. Jealousy. Awe. Disbelief. Horror. Jubilation:
All are emotions that I have experienced as an emotionally invested fan of auburn football. I cannot explain why, nor will I bother trying, but our group of modern day gladiators that I so fervently support are forever close to my heart and always on my mind. I don’t know why.
Today’s events have really shaken me. Never before have I felt so many of the aforementioned emotions simultaneously. The thing is, they are all negative emotions. Before today, everything made sense. It was simply a down on his luck former player trying to make the best of his own bad situation, coupled with a group of holier-than-thou reporters and a jilted former coach.
But now? Things are more complicated. It has been alleged that auburn cheated. For the record, I still don’t believe it. For the allegations to be true, it means that msu had the opportunity to cheat but declined to. For one, that’s not an idea that I’m willing to just accept blindly. Examine the following sequence of events:
1. Msu “recruiter” says they had phone conversations with the newtons saying cam’s recruitment was about money, and that said money was better at auburn.
2. Msu releases statement saying that after initially reporting the allegations in January, there was a 6 month delay before handing over the rest of the info.
3. SEC spokesman says they never received word of aforementioned conversations.
I am confused.
I understand Phillip Marshall’s statement about Auburn’s compliance staff only letting Cam play if they were 100% certain, but this latest release from the SEC doesn’t comfort me… our compliance staff would have used the allegations as they were communicated…
What I am fearing now is that MSU either willfully or mistakenly withheld information about the phone coversations in their report to the SEC. Auburn would have investigated based on that report (sans phone conversations)…
I really don’t think this ends well for us…
WW89, the point to remember though is that Auburn was investigating all of this at the same time in July as the SEC was informed of those phone conversations. So it’s highly unlikely that the SEC would not have passed that along to Auburn, as well.
My biggest issue with this whole thing is the use of sentence fragment quotes of hearsay from unnamed sources. If the NCAA/SEC is notified and they investigate, then fine. But to throw a black cloud over a magnificent season for a team of 18-22 year olds and their entire fan base with nothing but rumors is bad journalism in my opinion.
Let’s remember that the only individual on the record who could be considered an accuser is John Bond – and he has admited that his information was obtained throuth two intermediaries. Everyone else is an “unnamed source.”
Others to go on the record are Gene Chizik, Jay Jacobs, Cam Newton, Charles Bloom, and Kenny Rogers. All of whome have contradicted statements made by these faceless “sources.”
WW89 – Maybe they didn’t report the conversations because they didn’t happen or didn’t happen the way they have been portrayed in the press. Remember those are snipets of the entire conversation.
I can imagine a father looking for money being coy (did I spell that right?)and saying “it will take more than a scholarship” *wink wink*.
But I can’t imagine Cam crying to a MSU coach and saying “the money was too much” and that’s it. Surely the MSU coach asked Cam what he meant by that. The answer to which would be a little important don’t you think?
Obviously ESPN doesn’t have the whole story now either.
Jerry
You picked up the sledge hammer and sent that nail home. You’ve expressed perfectly what I, and doubtless other Auburn family members, are feeling.
To me the worst part of the story is having an 81 year old father who is a life long Auburn fan who wants one more National championship for his Tigers and a having a 15 year old son who says “Gosh dad do you think we really cheated”
I would hope that we wouldn’t risk years of probation and reputation on any recruit, much less a JUCO player with baggage.
@WW89 and Walt: one of the reasons I had not let loose the Fret Monkeys of Hell until after the FBI, Schad and more importantly the MSU disclosure is that I thought that we had all the information since January. There is still enough time for Auburn compliance to do its due diligence if we get the info. in July (when in July though? That’s a big month) but its considerably different from having all the information in January.
I know jack about NCAA procedures, but I wonder if there is a way we could have asked for an advisory opinion from the SEC on this?
I am a lawyer and the two state bars I am admitted to have procedures where you can ask for guidance on sticky issues, Is that possible in the NCAA arena?
Most of these “journalists” don’t meet the criteria to be classified as that. However, anything that ESPN reports has to be taken seriously. They are not going to publish or report something they don’t feel strongly about with credible sources. Look, MSU is in trouble. We know that. They have admitted to turning in another school in relation to an amateur athlete. They made the SEC look like hacks in their statement essentially saying that the conference never followed up on a request for 7 months until the NCAA came calling. They still have the issue of a “booster” talking to recruits to deal with. All that spells trouble for them.
As for Auburn, it all hinges on whether we (booster) paid Cam to come to Auburn. Thats it. None of this other stuff matters at all. Not the Newtons implying that they were paid, nothing to do with his recruitment. Hell, even if they did ask for money, as long as we didn’t pay, we are OK. Unfortunately, our boosters have a long history of shenanigans. We all know what its like to be the red headed stepchild in the state and some of our boosters feel the same way, just with large bank accounts.
I am still pretty worried that something is going to come out eventually. But, until then, I am supporting my university and trust we have done nothing wrong.
They say there are 5 stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, & Acceptance. I was on “depression” when I opened my browser yesterday and rather quickly jumped to “acceptance”. That was it. We were done. Just a matter of time I figured. However, here I am a day later and with all that blood in the water the sharks at ESPN, Fox, NYT, etc. haven’t found anything else to pounce on (do sharks pounce?). Makes me wonder a bit. Also the news that MSU dragged their feet in providing the info the NCAA/SEC requested. Seriously? You have damning evidence that will send one of your conference rivals to the probation dungeon for the next 5 years or so, oh and cause them to sit that 5* stud you wanted so bad (thus keeping him from running roughshod over you in your own stadium come Sept.) and you drag your feet? Seriously? Hope is an interesting thing. Even in the face of nearly certain doom it sticks it glimmers ever so slightly.
Yeah, Marcus. MSU is gonna get in some trouble for how they handled the whole situation. Don’t worry about that.
+1 Jerry and +1 Marcus
Also, apparently per the SEC, MSU did not report these phone coversations with the Newtons where they allegedly were asking for $ in either report in Jan or July. Dude, MSU looks like a bunch of bumbling idiots. Who is running that ship?
Why won’t they let you talk about this on the CBS blog, Jerry?
MSU is like a crab in the bucket trying to pull us back down with them. From the first story Bond has insinuated that Auburn had done something to land Cam and the insinuations have kept coming from their camp. They went to the press when the SEC/NCAA investigation wasn’t going to their liking. But that’s it. I especially feel strongly about this now that we know these phone calls were never reported to the SEC. My feeling is that these MSU coaches/recruiters/boosters are going nuclear on Auburn trying to take the Tigers down with them. OR they are panicking because their stories are sticking like they’d hoped they would. They sling the mud, it sticks for a few days, but then it washes off when some REAL journalists start asking REAL questions. Hats off to the Associated Press this morning for getting in contact with the SEC office, instead of backing up unnamed MSU sources with other unnamed MSU sources like the “reporter” at ESPN has done. Hack job!
Michael, I recused myself. Writing about Auburn is one thing, but writing about a touchy situation like this at an outlet like CBS is something that needs to be done by a person without obvious, open allegiances. Honestly, I don’t want to over there; trying to check myself at every sentence would be nerve-racking.
The media is trying hard to spin this on Auburn and cam because we are 10-0 and he is the heisman front-runner which makes it more sensational than say….MSU is under NCAA investigation for illegally recruiting players.
Something stinks here, but it’s more than the manure in starkville.
1. MSU was involved in eligibility issues with basketball player renaldo sidney. could he have been getting paid or illegally recruited? no one is digging because he isn’t a heisman candidate type yet.
2. MSU was contacted about paying newton
3. MSU stalled or were bumbling idiots in providing info about recruiting to the SEC office for 6 months.
4. Even after they reported the additional info they omitted some info in that report according to new report from SEC office
5. FBI sniffing around John Bond. (allegedly)
On a side note if newton affiliates were seeking payment from juco, would they have also sought payment straight out of high school? If he was paid at UF would that be why maybe he sought payment from mullen who would know details of what happened at UF?
I gotta stand by my cam and say that maybe he was offered money, but a man with a checkered past trying to rebuild his image can’t afford to take that risk.
War Eagle! Whip them Dawgs!
I hear ya jerry, new gig and all you can’t take chances. Bias doesn’t seem to be stopping anyone else and we need all the defenders we can get. You can be linked from here just as well as there and it’s much safer here behind the orange and blue glasses sipping our koolaid!
Well said Jerry.
Anyone who thinks Auburn would be playing Cam with the hint that might be ineligble, after what happened to USC, is crazy. And if you think the Auburn compliance people are soft, go look at the men’s basketball team.
Well, tell ole Gregg Doyel that he did a good job of covering the story at CBS. He is one of the few who have covered it fairly.
tigertracker, or what about this wild speculation (some hack should run with it!): Florida gave the Newtons a lump sum back when he initially signed; Mullen thinks that since Cam can’t go back to UF that the original money makes Cam beholden to him, his old offensive coach.
Or my favorite theory: Cecil asks to hold the money for a moment; he grins and sticks the check in his inside jacket pocket. The boosters are pleased: “So by accepting the money you acknowledge your son is a Bulldog?!” Cecil: “What money? My son is going to Auburn.”
Just like when Homer and Monty Burns let Fidel Castro hold the trillion dollar bill in “The Simpsons.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLRlzvGsAO8&feature=related
Amen J.M. I think everybody needs to take a deep breath here. Should we be that worried about alleged partial quotes from alleged conversations that even the SEC office says they have never been made aware of?? Even though they say that MSU has “fully” cooperated throughout this entire process. Why now? Did somebody actually record these conversations? If they went to that much trouble don’t you think it odd that they weren’t turned in when they first went to the SEC or NCAA with this? I mean, ESPN has more CREDIBLE information than the paid overseers of our sport that have been investigating this since January or July – take your pick. This whole thing just reeks of tabloid journalism. And good lord folks, please don’t act like ESPN is the gospel. Their job is to get people to watch Sportscenter. Not be the end all be all for innocence and guilt. I mean I get it, smoke/fire, etc., but so far we’ve seen nothing but allegation after allegation with nothing even resembling actual evidence. The academic stuff that happened (or didn’t happen?) at Florida is old, old news.
Jerry – Remember back earlier this year or last year when we were all discussing the possibility of Cam coming to Auburn after the news broke that we were recruiting him pretty hard. We were all a bit leery of adding baggage to a team that was poised (we thought) to be pretty dang good regardless of whether or not he came here. I remember saying I thought it would either be an unbelievable success or a complete disaster. Never occurred to me that it might be both.
War Eagle folks. Keep your chins up. I’ve heard enough about this shit for one week/year/lifetime. If we did anything wrong, we should pay dearly. But now is not the time or the place. He’s already played 10 games, so what’s done is done as far as what it will mean for us down the road. Let’s get fired up about what we need to do to send those stinking Dawgs back to B-52land with their tail between their stinking Soulja Boy legs. 4 years folks. It’s time for some serious payback.
WDE
To all my fellow Auburn fans,
Before we jump off the deep end with every two-bit hack sports writer in the country (present company excepted, Jerry – we know your quality), please consider this:
It doesn’t pass the logic test. The question of whether this affects Auburn or that Auburn may be at fault hinges on one very critical idea:
That Gene Chizik is playing Cam Newton despite knowing he is ineligible.
For this to be true, Gene would have to be taking the greatest gamble with this season, his tenure at Auburn and even his entire career as a head coach above the High School level. To believe this to be the case would place him head and shoulders above the small crowd of coaching bombshells to ever hit the league in the last decade, including Mike Price’s credit card, Lane Kiffin’s departure, and the Flop from Op’s Secretary.
For what? To coach an undefeated team? He’s done that (DC Auburn). To coach a team to the national championship? He’s done that too (DC Texas). To land a head coaching job at a prominent program? He’s already there.
It would be akin to going ‘All in’ with a pair of threes. He would not only earn the “Riverboat Gambler” label, but the notoriety of being the biggest idiot and greatest hypocrite in all of college football,… for all time. There would be no living down this one. He’s corrected the “5-19” moniker, in glowing fashion, but this? No way.
If you think for an instant that this is true, stop reading now. You aren’t an Auburn fan, and have only the worst to believe about anyone. Have a nice day.
For me, I can’t bring myself to believe that this particular coach would make such a career-ending decision, nor make a lie of everything he’s said and done since he first arrived in Auburn. No one can fake what he accomplished as head coach in the last couple of years, nor the way he did it. Not for one player, not even one with all the talents of Cam Newton.
No one bets like that, unless they know it is a sure thing and no a bet at all.
Cam is eligible. Auburn did nothing wrong. Cam plays for Auburn now, for the rest of this season and for as long as he is a student at Auburn.
Sullivan013
Bravo sully! If we can pull out a win this weekend, it’s just one more feather in the cap of Coach Chizik. If he can get his guys to focus on UGA with all this crap swirling around and beat them on the field of play, it will speak volumes about him and his crew. Let’s do it Auburn! Beat Georgia!
There are so many things said here (in both the article and the comments) that I could not have said better myself.
I have a good feeling that the team will be extremely focused and ready to play on Saturday. To borrow a line from the Supper Club, expect no mercy.
War Eagle!
Beat Georgia!
Sully, I agree with everything you are saying. I don’t think Chizik would play cam if he KNEW he was ineligible. As far as he is concerned he is eligible until proven otherwise so he will continue to play him. That doesn’t change the fact that there COULD be something Chiz doesn’t know (like rogue booster) that could change things after the fact. I don’t know how much “evidence” the NCAA requires before they send a letter and start an investigation which hasn’t happened yet and hopefully won’t. I’m also hoping the newtons are above these shenanigans and that they were only offered money at state but didn’t take it and chose auburn without the benefit of money. That could explain the “rented mule” comment Cecil threw out during the recruitment process. I hope he was smart enough not to say that after taking more money at a different program.
My wife and I are buying #2 jerseys first thing Sat morning to wear to the game. I live in ATL. I really want this win on Saturday. And I want Urban in December. War Damn!
Isn’t it possible that msu tried to pay and it didn’t work?
First of all, why did msu release that statement yesterday? The simple fact that they waited til July to submit the rest of the information makes me think that they were scrambling around to cover their bases and make sure there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
http://www.chadgibbs.com/2010/11/11/yesterday-according-to-espn/
Sully – I don’t think a paid player has to actually play for it to be a major infraction. And I don’t think it matters if Auburn is aware he was paid either. Theoretically, a rogue booster could sink us with no one ever knowing about it until the suspension is handed down.
THAT is the biggest fear I have.
I think the only way to get out of that would be if AU found out a booster bought a player before he ever played his first game and turned both the player and the booster in to the NCAA immediately. If (BIG IF) Cam was bought, then this scenario clearly didn’t happen.
this has nothing to do with Newton being guilty or not…
is it just me or is ESPN’s overzealous reporting in the Cam Newton saga seem to be a reaction to the fact it wasn’t the WWL but some bloggers who broke the Reggie Bush and Brett Favre scandals? actually what’s the last big story you can remember ESPN actually breaking on their own? i think all you have to do is read the dozen or so stories that they’ve posted on ESPN.com the basically just recite the exact same info over and over again (minus any of the contradictory reports against their information) and you start to get the feeling that ESPN is making this THEIR story no matter what. this isn’t me saying they’ve created a conspiracy against Cam Newton but i think they really feel that once they got wind of the investigation that they were gonna make it their top priority to be at the center of the story.
Live chat with Thayer Evans going on right now… let’s flood him with rational questions…
http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/talk-time:-chat-with-thayer-evans-thursday,-1-et
… and watch him duck them all. What a tool.
Censored. Worth a try though.
He did not approve ANY serious questions about the Newton stuff- he only posted Auburn fans saying angry/sarcastic things to him. I fear they played right into his hands…
I asked 20 or so questions about what he made of Bond’s story changing, the SEC saying MSU never reported phone calls, the Florida denials about cheating….. but no approval…
Wes … you are right. I feel we just fed the monster there. Arrgh! “Wow Evans, we’ve never had a chat so popular! Keep it up my boy!”
Thanks all. I feel like I just went through group therapy or something. Good to see folks posting many of the things I’ve been thinking. I definitely consider myself stuck in the “anger” phase for now, Marcus.
Now, let’s beat the hell out of those bulldawgs! Those gawd-dang sons-a-bitches called us turkey buzzards!!!
War Eagle no matter what…
PS – don’t be a stranger, Jerry. Not now! See what you’ve done here with this? WBE is like a haven compared to all the other poisonous places out there right now. I know, I know. Baby, new gig, busy busy, bad timing, etc, etc. I get it. Happy for you and all. I truly am. Just sayin. This sucks…
To summarize: I’m pissed, War Eagle anyway, burn the bulldawgs, Jerry come home. I’ll shut up now.
thanks, Big A. i appreciate your support.
I support all # 2’s that wear the Auburn orange and blue.
Mark Ingram had some good things to say about Cam. Said he is probably going to vote for him for Heisman. Good to hear.
KEnny Rogers interview today- changes his story drastically. Now claiming Cecil told him that it would take 100-180K to sign Cam.
Emotional roller coaster. I don’t know which way is up anymore.
I think they sat all those players because it was the beginning of the season and the pertinent thing to do (if things turned out differently they would have to forfeit the game). The fact that Cam has played 10 games for us, might as well finish up. It can’t do us any more damage going 2-10 vs 0-12 if it turns out Cam is ineligible. I was in school for the amazing 93 and 94 seasons. However, if it comes out that Auburn paid Cam, I hope we get the harshest penalty they can give. I don’t want a football program for 10 years. Just saying.
you can hear the whole thing here:
http://espn.go.com/dallas/radio/
sounds uber fishy. not for cam and cecil, but more for meyer, his lackies at state and the dirty buzzards trying to slander our #2!
Wow. I had almost forgotten about Rogers involvement. A few things are obvious here:
1. Rogers is a shady character that was trying to solicit money from msu.
2. Msu totally believes that auburn wound up buying him.
3. Auburn has found no evidence of wrongdoing on our end.
My initial impression when espn first broke the story was that Rogers was a rogue agent who was trying to capitalize on the situation so he could make a quick buck to save his floundering business. Of course, he vehemently denied any involvement on his part.
With all the allegations coming out since then, particularly the alleged phone calls, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. But news of the phone calls, coupled with the reported involvement of the FBI have driven this douchebag out from under his rock. It must be emphasized that this guy didn’t show his face til AFTER the latest news cycle. Why, now have he and his lawyer decided that NOW is the time to “set the record straight”?
My opinion is that he is now trying to cover his ass. I feel that this puts us right back at square one. I don’t believe that Cecil and cam were trying to get paid. The alleged phone calls prove nothing when taken out of context. I do think that the msu staff believes that the newtons had their hand out.
I feel way better about this than I did yesterday. The bottom line: for me to believe that auburn paid for cam, I have to believe that msu had the opportunity to cheat, but declined to. That’s quite a stretch, and one I’m not willing to accept without proof.
War eagle!
This really shouldn’t be taken as positive news. Rogers’ word might not be good enough for the NCAA but if the two coaches who he and Cecil had this alleged conversation with corroborate, we are very, very close to Cam being declared ineligible, all our wins vacated and our season ruined.
Yes, the current understanding appears to be that as soon as Cecil asks any school for money, Cam become ineligible at that moment. Doesn’t matter if money never changed hands, doesn’t matter if he never had this conversation with anyone at Auburn. Any victories using an ineligible player get vacated. If Auburn clean maybe we don’t get penalties beyond that but the wins disappear.
It’s true that this new information doesn’t directly implicate Auburn any further, but if the NCAA comes to believe that Cecil did ask MSU for money, that only gives them more reason to believe the allegations that “the money was too much” and turn over every rock in Lee County to find it. This might not have been the deathblow but no Auburn fan should believe today was a good one for our cause.
John “James” Bond and Kenny Rogers “Roasters” are getting into a pissing match with each other. Both said seperately what they know had nothing to do with Auburn. I just don’t know what to think about Pops Newton now. Can you believe the f’ing FBI is involved in this now. Unbelievable. Maybe they are more competent than the NCAA and SEC.
Dave, while its true that solicitation of improper benefits is a major violation that automatically renders an athlete ineligible, there still has to be proof. I mean the ncaa can’t really just take Rogers word for it can they? I would think that at some point you have to question his credibility. At this point, my only worry is whether bill bell will confirm cecil’s involvement or not. As of right now, it is still the word of a pastor against a creep who is currently under investigation by the NFL for shady dealings.