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Woo-hoo! Cam is in the clear!
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/12/ncaa_rules_auburns_cam_newton.html
And this is from the NCAA website (which currently isn't loading because of people flooding the site):
Auburn University football student-athlete Cam Newton is immediately eligible to compete, according to a decision today by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff. The NCAA concluded on Monday that a violation of amateurism rules occurred, therefore Auburn University declared the student-athlete ineligible yesterday for violations of NCAA amateurism rules. When a school discovers an NCAA rules violation has occurred, it must declare the student-athlete ineligible and may request the student-athlete?s eligibility be reinstated. Reinstatement decisions are made by the NCAA national office staff and can include conditions such as withholding from competition and repayment of extra benefits. Newton was reinstated without any conditions. According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete?s father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton?s commitment to attend college and play football. NCAA rules (Bylaw 12.3.3) do not allow individuals or entities to represent a prospective student-athlete for compensation to a school for an athletic scholarship. In conjunction with the case, Auburn University has limited the access Newton?s father has to the athletics program and Mississippi State has disassociated the involved individual. "The conduct of Cam Newton?s father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics," said Mike Slive, Southeastern Conference Commissioner. "The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC." "Our members have established rules for a fair and equal recruitment of student-athletes, as well as to promote integrity in the recruiting process," said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs. "In determining how a violation impacts a student-athlete?s eligibility, we must consider the young person?s responsibility. Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement. From a student-athlete reinstatement perspective, Auburn University met its obligation under NCAA bylaw 14.11.1. Under this threshold, the student-athlete has not participated while ineligible." "We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University," Auburn University Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs said. "We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter. " During the reinstatement process, NCAA staff review each case on its own merits based on the specific facts. Staff decisions are made based on a number of factors including guidelines established by the Division I NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the university. Reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete?s involvement are determined. The reinstatement process is likely to conclude prior to the close of an investigation. It is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations. War Damn Eagle!
TTC #1 since June 2008 *SAIFW*
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
Re: Woo-hoo! Cam is in the clear!
We are not in the NC, yet. And we've known about these allegations before the season ever started and AU never said his eligibility was in question. I suppose you are on the train that if we go and win the NC, it won't be "real" or "deserving" bc of Cam, right? along with the rest of our undefeated season?
WAR DAMN CAM!
As PP said, these allegations were known to Auburn, the SEC, and NCAA prior to the beginning of the season.
I still don't understand why his eligibility would even be questioned when Auburn was never even accused of pay for play. All of that was on MS State.
*shakes head* Some people just don't like it when others are doing well. There's always somebody raining on the parade.
As Cam said, when God be blessin', the devil be messin'.
Blog!
This whole thing gets a
from me. Maybe it's because of the whole Dez fiasco last year, but it just seems as if the NCAA has such hugely different priorities for the players in trouble soley depending on which school it is involved. Does that make sense?
I mean, I know Dez lied and what not, but still. Eh, maybe I'm just bitter. The NCAA is just so twisted. It needs an overhaul.
That. Exactly.
It really blows my mind that people WANT to see a young, amazing athlete in trouble and fail...
Never once has there been any indication that Cam was involved nor has there been even so much as a HINT that AU did anything wrong.
Honestly, it kind of makes me feel ill that people WANT to see other people in trouble and fail...
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
in the words of Mike and Mike "if it were milk we wouldn't be pouring it on our cereal"
Clearly you haven't watched ESPN at all because they've always hated Auburn. Even before this stuff was exposed to the media (when only Auburn and Miss State knew about it), they still only had negative things to say about AU...
If Auburn was 3-7 the media never would have gotten wind of all of this..because Auburn would have handled it properly (just as we did) and no one would have cared about taking Auburn and Cam down.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
What kills me about this whole situation is that there's an existing NCAA rule that states that it doesn't MATTER if the student athlete didn't know what their parent was up to or not. When it comes to taking money and crap like that, the athlete and their parent are one and the same-if the parent takes money, its a violation regardless of whether the athlete knew or not and the student is ineligible (or should be). The NCAA is essentially ignoring their own rules here and that's what scares me-who's to say that parents of high school athletes aren't hearing all of this and thinking "Well if Cecil Newton can do it why can't I? I'll just tell my kid to claim they didn't know, if we ever get caught."
The investigation is far from over-the FBI is still investigating b/c of the money being funneled into Cecil Newton's church. Plus, if the voicemail Cam left acknowledging the money from Auburn being "too much" to turn down were to actually turn up, it would blow the whole situation out of the water.
Don't get me wrong-Cam Newton is an amazing athlete and at the start of the season I wanted nothing more than to see him succeed. But this whole situation has left a nasty taste in my mouth, and the future implications for greedy high school athletes and their parents is terrifying. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this ended up costing Cam the Heisman...the last thing the Heisman voters and Heisman Trust want is to end up with another Reggie Bush situation on their hands.
I also want to add that I am not an Auburn fan, I am a RAZORBACK fan. Although, I am a fan of the SEC!
And that is the basis of the NCAA rule that they are for some ungodly reason choosing to blatantly ignore...it doesn't matter if he knew or not, it's still a violation that is supposed to render any player who violates it ineligible (even in the event that the player had no idea). The fact that the NCAA is choosing to ignore their own rule, and ruled on this so quickly, really makes me think that there are other motives at play here. Any other NCAA investigation has taken months, so the fact that they wrapped this up so quickly makes me wonder.
You are absolutely right. When it comes to TAKING money...there is zero proof that anyone ever took any mone. There is a difference between talking about receiving money and actually receiving money..whether people want to admit that or not.
It still blows my mind that people are chosing to believe that Auburn offered Cam money...never once has ANYONE ever said that happened...even the allegations that Cam said "the money was too much" never had Auburn involved in that statement...it was never "The money from Auburn was too much".
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
You're right...no one has proven (yet-hence the FBI investigation of the money that has shown up in the accounts of Cecil Newton's church) that any money changed hands. What I meant by "taking money and crap like that" was "taking money or trying to get schools to give you and your kid money for your kid to play football there". Both are clearly against NCAA rules. The NCAA has stated that Cecil Newton did what it was alleged he did, and that Cam didn't know and therefore is eligible...though their own rules state that in a situation such as this, the player is INeligible whether they knew what their parent was up to or not. That is why I have an issue with this whole situation-by ruling Cam eligible, they're disregarding the rules that they themselves have set in place and setting a scary precent for future athletes and their families.
riddle me this...I think it is apparent that there was a "bidding war" of sorts and if zero $$ changed hands then how did Cam end up at Auburn when he clearly wanted to go to Mississippi State. If Mississippi State was entertaining Cam's dad financially doesn't it lend to the fact that there had to have been a reward for Newton Sr. to declare that Cam would be going to Auburn...I realize that this is all speculation and that he has been cleared by the NCAA, but even the most novice mind would have to be able to make this connection. If Newton Sr. wanted money from Mississippi State, why wouldn't he have wanted money from Auburn?
STARKVILLE ? A big story on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will be in the Nov. 1 issue of Sports Illustrated and in it we discover the Newton family?s explanation as to why the future Heisman contender did not choose Mississippi State.Here?s more from Lars Anderson?s article:Last December the choice of which college to attend came down to two schools?Auburn and Mississippi State. Newton preferred Starkville because of his close relationship with Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen, who had been Newton?s offensive coordinator at Florida. But Cecil thought his son should choose Auburn, which had an experienced offensive line (four starters were returning) and was only a two-hour drive from Atlanta. Newton let his father make the final decision, and a few days before Christmas, while sitting at the dinner table in his brother?s house in Jacksonville, Cecil Sr. uttered two words that would radically alter the college football landscape: ?It?s Auburn.?
The thing about it is, there is no proof that Cecil ever asked for money...only that there was a conversation that he was involved in. No reliable source has ever said who initiated that conversation. Who's to say that Rogers didn't call Cecil up and tell him he could get him money for Cam's signature? If that is the case, isn't it possible that Cecil entertained the idea and ultimately decided it wasn't a good idea, was dangerous to Cam, that he [Cecil] didn't want Cam to go to State for any number of reasons (Auburn has a better OL around Cam, Auburn would be a better place for him to be for his NFL carrer, maybe he liked that his son would be playing for one of the best offensive minds in the country, maybe Cecil didn't like Mullen because of something that could have happened at UF)...and then they visited Auburn and Cecil thought it was the right fit for Cam for whatever reason (football wise, life wise, who knows). If Cecil had already decided taking the money wasn't what he was going to do, why would he ask other schools for it?
I suppose logic could say that IF Cecil really did randomly call up Rogers and ask for money all on his own, then yes, he'd probably try it again. But Auburn, Tennessee and Oklahoma have all come out and said that didn't happen..that in their recruitment of Cam, there was never any pay for play scheme going on. So why are people having such a hard time believing that Rogers could have been the instigator of all of this? There have also been allegations that Rogers was trying to extort money from State for his own personal benefit and this was his avenue to do that. Why is that so hard to believe? I mean, everyone knows Rogers isn't exactly exactly a model citizen...and we all knew that before this Cam story broke.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
The article above doesn't support your theory. It seems like even the NCAA (and Auburn!) agree the Cecil broke the rules, they're just saying that they don't have sufficient evidence that Cam or Auburn was involved.
"According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete?s father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton?s commitment to attend college and play football. NCAA rules (Bylaw 12.3.3) do not allow individuals or entities to represent a prospective student-athlete for compensation to a school for an athletic scholarship."
I wanna cyber kiss you right now
Actually, it does support my theory. I know that Cecil broke rules, I'm not saying he didn't. All I'm saying is we don't know who initiated the conversation about money...unless you know something that no one else does. No one, with any credibilty, has ever said Cecil contacted so and so about receiving money for Cam..just that he was engaged in coversations with Rogers about State. Is it really that hard to believe that Rogers was the one that started all of this? That he called Cecil, offered money to Cecil, Cecil entertained it and, for whatever reason, didn't go through with it? Has anyone ever called you up, gave you something to think about and in the end you said "No, thanks"?...it happens.
Just because he had that conversation with a booster from State, doesn't mean he had that conversation with any other school or received money from other school, especially if no one else from any other school contacted him about money. Obviously the deal fell through at State, the only school that has anyone saying they had these dicussions with Cecil and no one knows why that deal fell through. Maybe Cecil decided he didn't want to go through with it and that would explain why he didn't ask for money at any other school...if he wouldn't accept money from State, why would he go out and ask Auburn, Tennesse or Oklahoma for money? Especially if he wasn't the one who initiated the conversation.
Is this really that hard to understand?
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
I never said he asked the other schools for any money. Obviously we don't know that. And who initated the call is completely irrelevant, because the NCAA said that being part of them at all was a violation.
My point is that Cecil did break the rules (which even you admit, I see.) Previously, if a parent broke the rules, the student broke the rules. Here the parent broke the rules (all parties, including you, agree), but the student is still eligible.
I never said you said that he asked other schools for money...copzgirl did in her "riddle me this" post..that's where I posted my "theory" that if it all really did originate from Rogers, it doesn't make sense to automatically assume that Cam/Cecil would have had to have been paid for Cam to go to Auburn. And that's when you said that "theory" didn't hold up.
It isn't irrelevant who started the whole play for pay thing if people think that it was Cecil...because he did it at State he just had to do it at Auburn...that's what previous posted have said/implied.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
I just wanted to throw this out there but it HAS been months. Auburn, the SEC, and the NCAA were already investigating all this prior to the start of the season in July.
An SEC or NCAA rep (can't remember which one) made a statement when the news was being reported last month that there are many cases like this that they look into and the public doesn't know about the majority of them. The only reason this is being made a big deal of is because of the media circus around it. If Auburn wasn't doing as well as they are on the field, none of us would even know this and the university, SEC, and NCAA would be going along as usual.
How long were they investigating until it became public knowledge? Over 4 months
Blog!
I have no dog in this fight at all. (I only pay enough attention to college football to know who is doing well and went to a college with no football team). But this entire thing is a joke - if Auburn were not undefeated and up for the national championship, I truly believe things would have been much, much different. This is not somone trying to rain on someone's parade - it's about someone breaking the rules. FunkyPineaple - I think your feelings are clouded because you are an Auburn fan (which is understandable), but I think you would be singing a different tune if the situation involved the QB of say, Alabama. I mean, they found that Cam's father violated the rules!
The bigger issue is that NCAA is only about making money - something needs to happen with college football. The NCAA and the schools make MILLIONS of dollars off of these kids - and they very, very little in return.
Please don't assume about my thoughts.
I don't believe my feelings are clouded. I am of the innocent until proven guilty and there has been no evidence that Cam or Auburn were aware of pay for play dealings.
If he was, then YES, I do believe he should face the consequences of his actions. I just don't like it when people are punished unfairly.
Example: If this prevents him from getting the Heisman because people are wary about voting for him and he didn't do anything, that just plain sucks. He is the best player in college football and I would feel that way regardless of him being at Auburn or not. If he gets the Heisman and they find out he DID know, they can undo it just like they did with Reggie Bush.
As much as I dislike Alabama, that comes from its fans not the team or institution. If McElroy was in Cam's position, I would feel the same way. I don't see why a parent's actions should reflect on their ADULT kids. If your parent decides to go rob a bank, that doesn't necessarily mean you know anything about it.
I think the NCAA needs to re-do their rules in a manner that is cut and dry. They are vague and people are going to take them how they want and I totally agree with you that the NCAA is only out for it for the money.
The only reason they're so vague is so that they can fine schools and athletic programs because otherwise where would they get all the extra money from?
Ok, so what do you want the student athletes to get then? I don't think they get little in return. A good amount of student athletes gets scholarships to the schools they play for, they play to get a college degree that, unless they go pro, will feed and clothe them and their families. If they're good enough to go pro, well then they're set for life.
Blog!
I'm laughing at the fact that being a fan of the team in question has no bearing on your outlook of this case. Please.
They said the same sh!t about us UK people when Cal came, because we were doing the same thing. "It was never PROVEN, therefore it didn't happen."
I could care less what happens. I choose to watch college football for the games, and don't pay much attention to the crazy surrounding it. Cam is amazing, he'd be amazing with or without the money. But this debate is interesting.
Aw, thanks hun. I'm always happy to make someone laugh
I'm not saying it didn't happen, I just don't think he, or ANYONE, should be punished without hard evidence.
Blog!