Friday, November 12, 2010

Cameron Newton’s status likely a game time announcement

Via Tracy Wolfson, CBS Sports’ Sideline Reporter posting on Twitter:

WolfsonTweet-11-12-2010

 

This means that no one will learn of Cam Newton’s status until Auburn and Georgia take the field tomorrow at Jordan-Hare Stadium.  Game time is 2:30 CST and will be televised by CBS.

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock or stuck in a Chilean mine for the last several days, Newton’s status came into question late last week when ESPN.com and the New York Times posted stories online regarding an alleged pay-for-play scheme during Newton’s recruitment last year.

Each day during the soap opera, a new twist or news item has dropped, ranging from allegations of academic fraud to the FBI looking into possible charges regarding extortion and a human trafficking angle that broke on this site Wednesday. Yesterday, one of the central figures in the scandal—an agent named Kenny Rogers—went on the record with ESPN Radio and fingered Cam Newton’s father as the one who wanted cash for Cam’s services.

If this is true, Newton’s eligibility is gone and if Auburn University knew about the scheme and played him anyway, or if Auburn University or one of its athletic interests (i.e., a “booster”) steered cash to Newton’s father, then Auburn is… well…

 

 

 

AuburnToast

UPDATE: AL.com says he’s playing, “barring any last minute decision to the contrary.”  That’s a money quote, in my book.  It means that no one will know for sure if Newton is playing until he actually plays…

UPDATE II: Yahoo Sports tweets that “NCAA has made Auburn aware of potential eligibility issue. Now Auburn decides whether to risk playing him. Their risk.”

Somebody in the compliance department needs to make a call.  If there’s any question whatsoever about a student-athlete’s eligibility, you sit that player until the matter is resolved. There has to be a grown-up somewhere on the Auburn campus…

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