NCAA closes Cam Newton loophole

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has broadened the definition of agents to include parents, closing the loophole that allowed 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton to keep playing despite his father’s pay-for-play scheme.

The Division I Amateurism Cabinet sponsored legislation that would include family members and other third parties who shop an athlete’s services to schools for financial gain. The Division I Legislative Council passed the proposal Wednesday.

Read more from ESPN.com

1.12.12

Who are Danny Sheridan’s sources, and why did they want this information public?

Sheridan claimed his sources on this are in the NCAA and he’s had them for 25 years. I don’t know the NCAA org chart well enough to guess who these people are, but I can’t imagine there are many people who have worked there for at least 25 years. Also, no one stays at a low level job for two and a half decades. These people are serious NCAA insiders who likely are quite important within the association.

So why do they want this information about investigators possibly having ID’d Cam Newton’s bag man out there? The NCAA has a longstanding policy of not commenting on investigations so that information doesn’t mess with their ability to collect information. Plus, none of the other recent cases have had big leaks like this come from the NCAA directly. My only supposition is that they think this information going public will help them get this suspected bag man to confess.

Read more of “Questions Raised by Danny Sheridan’s Report on Cam Newton Investigation” on TeamSpeedKills.com
7.21.11

Asked whether he ever asked Auburn for money, he told the Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person: “According to what the NCAA findings are, that’s what we’re going with.”

Huh? You can’t answer that with a simple “no?”

Asking for money and being paid are two wildly different things, but Cecil Newton had an opportunity here to do what he says he wants — let the dust settle over his son’s college recruitment — and instead kicked it up again with his own words. He had a chance to be what he says he is — transparent — and instead came across looking like somebody with something more to hide.

Read the rest of “Cecil Newton’s gaffe one of the 5 dumbest responses this year in college sports” on AL.com
7.7.11

These voting irregularities could be an inspiration to the SEC Academic Consortium, which offers shared courses among all 12 member institutions. Imagine a new degree program unique to the conference.

Who wouldn’t want to major in revisionist history?

You have to give the ADs who voted against Newton when they voted for Tennessee tennis player John-Patrick Smith as the league’s best male athlete credit for one thing. They managed to do the impossible. They made their award, and college tennis, a hot topic, if only for a moment.

Read more of “SEC’s anti-Cam Newton vote nothing but hypocrisy” on AL.com
7.5.11

He is the SEC Male Athlete of the Year.

Which means that Cam Newton, Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback on the BCS national championship team, is not the SEC Male Athlete of the Year.

Such was the vote of the league’s 12 athletic directors.

If that doesn’t make you do some “do what?” spit-take into your coffee this morning, nothing ever will.

The ADs have made some screwy votes in the past.

Read more of “Cam Newton isn’t SEC’s athlete of the year? Looks like ADs believe there was something fishy” on AL.com
7.1.11

BRADENTON, Fla. – About halfway through his throwing session Thursday morning at IMG Academies, Cam Newton spotted his father camped under a tent in the far corner of the field.

“What ya in the shade for, man?” Newton yelled.

Cecil Newton waved off the question and kept his position, from which he could watch two of his three sons practicing on adjacent fields. Caylin Newton, 12, a rising seventh-grader in south Atlanta, was participating in one of IMG’s football camps.

Read more of “Cecil Newton: NCAA scandal doesn’t define who I am” on CharlotteObserver.com
7.1.11

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Coach Gene Chizik says in his upcoming book that Auburn would never have let Cam Newton play if the Tigers had any concerns about the quarterback’s eligibility.

Chizik says “we knew we had done nothing wrong during the recruiting process” and praised the Heisman Trophy winner’s “incredible focus” amid all the scrutiny last season.

Read more of ” Chizik in book: Auburn had no eligibility concerns about Newton” on CBSSports.com
6-15-11

The playing careers of Auburn stars Cam Newton and Nick Fairley may be over, but Tigers fans still can purchase a memento of their time on The Plains.

Newton’s pants and Fairley’s cleats worn during the BCS national championship game victory against Oregon are being auctioned off on the school’s athletic department website.

Read more of Auburn auctioning Cam Newton’s pants, Nick Fairly’s cleats from title game” on Clarioleldger.com

Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said he has no reservations about erecting a statue for Cam Newton while an NCAA investigation continues and expressed confidence that Auburn will ultimately be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Jacobs points to comments from NCAA President Mark Emmert, who said ”there was no evidence that money had changed hands and there was no evidence that Auburn University had anything to do with it.”

Read more of “Auburn AD confident about Newton case” on FoxSports.com
5-12-11

So what does Mandel make of those numbers?

“… based on the draft results, it appears the Tigers were the least talented team ever to win a BCS Championship — and it’s not even close.”

Fair enough.  He also heaps a great deal of praise upon offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn for having a “profound” impact on the Tigers.  No doubt many Tiger fans will also laud Gene Chizik for the excellent coaching job he

See the numbers from “Draft proves Cam was the man at Auburn” on MrSEC.com
5.3.11