NCAA investigating Cam Newton

I liked the story better when it was Urban Meyer.

 

Or maybe he got tired of playing football for a scholarship that coaches said he couldn't fully use and decided to play football for some real money.

 

NCAA rules Newton eligible:

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/12/ncaa_rules_auburns_cam_newton.html

 

My question stems from something the NCAA said the statement: "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."

Apparently, Newton was declared ineligible for Tuesday -- and Tuesday only -- before being cleared today. They never acknowledged that there was a violation of amateurism rules until yesterday?

 

I think that was just a procedural thing.

The Newtons admitted the father was shopping his son's services. Auburn is found to have not paid any money to land the kid. So the NCAA tells Auburn to declare him ineligible (but don't tell anybody) and then he'll get reinstated immediately.

Of course, SEC fanbois are now convinced this is a conspiracy! to keep Auburn in the national title hunt. And that the WarEagleTigerPlainsmen are more guilty than the MSU boosters.

 

Guess that's over.

 

Yeah, it's pretty standard to automatically declare a kid ineligible after learning of a violation, and then immediately apply for reinstatement. Alabama did the same thing with the Julio Jones/Mark Ingram "fishing trip" before the 2009 season.

Still, the investigation will continue I'm sure. All this means is Newton will play on Saturday and probably in the bowl game. It doesn't mean Auburn won't be drilled by the NCAA two years from now.

Auburn and its fans will be whistling past the graveyard for quite a while over this, but if Chizik and/or Newton are hoisting the crystal football on Jan. 10, they won't really care.

 

Hey, as far as I'm concerned, a one-day suspension on an off-day is a perfectly appropriate penalty for Newton based on what we know of this case and based on my complete contempt for the financially related eligibility rules of the NCAA in general.

 

If the NCAA had the same evidence against Reggie Bush in December '05 that they had four years later, they would have given him the same free pass, and the Texas-USC Rose Bowl would have gone on as scheduled. Bush's mistake was keeping the whole thing hidden for too long.

Maybe this will be the new thing, all Heisman candidates let this out in the open and get immediate amnesty, lest the conference and NCAA hurt its own TV ratings.

 

Darn.

I was really hoping for the BCS Armageddon scenario of Auburn wins SEC title game, gets slotted into national title game, then Newton is declared ineligible sometime in late December.

Disarray. TCU screams for BCS title slot. Computers put Wisconsin in above them. Oregon licks its chops. The Badgers have the score run up on them for a change. Dogs and cats living together, the dead rising from the grave. Mass hysteria.

 

They should go a step further and rule him retroactively inelegible from Sunday through Friday for the entire 2010 season. That'll teach 'em.

 

Dan Wetzel sums it up nicely:

"NCAA says Cam Newton was shopped, but since he didn't know it's no big deal. Wow. That's a heck of a precedent."

"Parent of a recruit might as well ask for money. What's the harm, right? Just pretend son doesn't know."