THIS CAM NEWTON UGLINESS JUST GETS WORSE BY THE DAY
Last night it was FOXSports throwing gas on the Cam Newton bonfire, tonight the accelerant was provided by by TMZ.com & ESPN. This story is getting worse by the day. Auburn coach Gene Chizek spent twenty minutes Tuesday ranting about the charges & the media. Athletic Director Jay Jacobs took the podium later in the day to espouse basically the same rhetoric 20 decibels lower in volume. The Auburn administration is stamping out one fire after another daily.
In between Chizek & Jacobs, some media members accused Florida of leaking Newton's sealed disciplinary file from his time in the Gator program. Others blamed Mississippi State, the runner-up in the Newton recruiting derby, of leaking stuff to the media. They reasoned Dan Mullen, Mississippi State coach, was Newton's offensive coordinator at Florida & since Mullen felt scorned by Newton's signing with Auburn, it was him who leaked the story about Newton.
But tonight, more reports surfaced & once again, Chizek & Jacobs will spend most of their day on Wednesday stomping out fires. ESPN's Joe Schad reported both Cam & his father Rev.Cecil Newton, had separate phone conversations with two Mississippi State recruiters. Conversations that were forwarded from Miss. State to the SEC compliance office, who opened an investigation & forwarded the conversations onto the NCAA. In one phone call from last December, Rev. Newton allegedly told the recruiter "It's gonna take more than a scholarship to get him to sign." In the other conversation which took place after he had signed with Auburn, Cam Newton allegedly said "My father made the choice for me, it was just too much money." That doesn't sound good does it?
Also tonight, TMZ.com reported former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond will meet with the FBI to discuss the conversation he had with a sports marketer who said he could deliver Newton to the Bulldogs for $180,000 in cash. Bond reported the story to Miss. State officials & they immediately backed off any additional contact with Newton. Bond's attorney confirmed the the upcoming parlay with the Feds.
It's doubtful any of these investigations will be completed by the end of the season or before Heisman ballots have to be postmarked. The ugly memory of Reggie Bush is still fresh on the minds of voters. It could make a huge difference in the Heisman outcome. It may also disrupt Auburn coaches & players as they prepare for Georgia this Saturday. So many beat & investigative reporters have the scent, the SEC, NCAA & now the FBI is involved, we'll know who did what, but we may not know it before this wildfire of rumors, speculation & allegations is extinguished, if it can be. Will it ruin Newton's Heisman run? Will it short circuit Auburn's national title ambitions? Auburn is playing with dynamite, the possibility exists that Newton is indeed ineligible & like USC, the wrath of the NCAA could wreck the Tiger football program for years to come. This entire mess is likely to get even nastier in the coming days & there will be some very big losers regardless of the outcome.
In between Chizek & Jacobs, some media members accused Florida of leaking Newton's sealed disciplinary file from his time in the Gator program. Others blamed Mississippi State, the runner-up in the Newton recruiting derby, of leaking stuff to the media. They reasoned Dan Mullen, Mississippi State coach, was Newton's offensive coordinator at Florida & since Mullen felt scorned by Newton's signing with Auburn, it was him who leaked the story about Newton.
But tonight, more reports surfaced & once again, Chizek & Jacobs will spend most of their day on Wednesday stomping out fires. ESPN's Joe Schad reported both Cam & his father Rev.Cecil Newton, had separate phone conversations with two Mississippi State recruiters. Conversations that were forwarded from Miss. State to the SEC compliance office, who opened an investigation & forwarded the conversations onto the NCAA. In one phone call from last December, Rev. Newton allegedly told the recruiter "It's gonna take more than a scholarship to get him to sign." In the other conversation which took place after he had signed with Auburn, Cam Newton allegedly said "My father made the choice for me, it was just too much money." That doesn't sound good does it?
Also tonight, TMZ.com reported former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond will meet with the FBI to discuss the conversation he had with a sports marketer who said he could deliver Newton to the Bulldogs for $180,000 in cash. Bond reported the story to Miss. State officials & they immediately backed off any additional contact with Newton. Bond's attorney confirmed the the upcoming parlay with the Feds.
It's doubtful any of these investigations will be completed by the end of the season or before Heisman ballots have to be postmarked. The ugly memory of Reggie Bush is still fresh on the minds of voters. It could make a huge difference in the Heisman outcome. It may also disrupt Auburn coaches & players as they prepare for Georgia this Saturday. So many beat & investigative reporters have the scent, the SEC, NCAA & now the FBI is involved, we'll know who did what, but we may not know it before this wildfire of rumors, speculation & allegations is extinguished, if it can be. Will it ruin Newton's Heisman run? Will it short circuit Auburn's national title ambitions? Auburn is playing with dynamite, the possibility exists that Newton is indeed ineligible & like USC, the wrath of the NCAA could wreck the Tiger football program for years to come. This entire mess is likely to get even nastier in the coming days & there will be some very big losers regardless of the outcome.
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