OT: Cam Newton Cleared

[Pistol]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=5872192&sportCat=ncf

I have to agree with Wojciechowski here. By allowing Newton's eligibility for all past and future games, doesn't this just open the door for financial agreements between parents and agents of all college athletes? Greedy agents and greedy parents must be jumping for joy right now, as they have the freedom to buy and sell their son/future client without fear of repercussions as long as there isn't a paper trail.

And not many have written about this aspect, but are we naive enough to think Cam Newton didn't know anything about this?

Seems like an ugly precedent to me. SEC football is the worst of college sports.

[MusicCityBilliken]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=5872192&sportCat=ncf

I have to agree with Wojciechowski here. By allowing Newton's eligibility for all past and future games, doesn't this just open the door for financial agreements between parents and agents of all college athletes? Greedy agents and greedy parents must be jumping for joy right now, as they have the freedom to buy and sell their son/future client without fear of repercussions as long as there isn't a paper trail.

And not many have written about this aspect, but are we naive enough to think Cam Newton didn't know anything about this?

Seems like an ugly precedent to me. SEC football is the worst of college sports.

Pistol, it was the NCAA that cleared Cam. SEC still says they will do a investigation.

[Pistol]

Pistol, it was the NCAA that cleared Cam. SEC still says they will do a investigation.

I know. I'm sure the SEC will half-ass it, though, and I'm not surprised that stories like this emerge from that conference.

I don't get how the NCAA is fine with stuff like this but if an Australian kid takes a class pass/fail they make him sit for a semester.

[JettFlight5]

The NCAA should have turned over the investigation over to the SLU Student Conduct Board. Newton would have never had a chance.

[Clock_Tower]

The NCAA should have turned over the investigation over to the SLU Student Conduct Board. Newton would have never had a chance.

Don't underestimate the power of a second year law student!!! I still cannot believe the actions of my alma mater!!

[JettFlight5]

Don't underestimate the power of a second year law student!!! I still cannot believe the actions of my alma mater!!

I know when I was a second year, I was ready to handle something like this...NOT!

[MB73]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=5872192&sportCat=ncf

I have to agree with Wojciechowski here. By allowing Newton's eligibility for all past and future games, doesn't this just open the door for financial agreements between parents and agents of all college athletes? Greedy agents and greedy parents must be jumping for joy right now, as they have the freedom to buy and sell their son/future client without fear of repercussions as long as there isn't a paper trail.

And not many have written about this aspect, but are we naive enough to think Cam Newton didn't know anything about this?

Seems like an ugly precedent to me. SEC football is the worst of college sports.

Hey. We agree!

It is about $$$$$$.

NCAA and SEC want the big game Saturday to be clean and the SEC also wants Auburn to be in the BCS Championship game.

If South Carolina wins, it will be Oregon and TCU in the championshp...

So if the game is close, look for some questionable holding and pass interference calls on South Carolina.

I kid you not.

AND, the over / under for Newton to be proven guilty is next July 1st; he will be long gone.

[TheA_Bomb]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=5872192&sportCat=ncf

I have to agree with Wojciechowski here. By allowing Newton's eligibility for all past and future games, doesn't this just open the door for financial agreements between parents and agents of all college athletes? Greedy agents and greedy parents must be jumping for joy right now, as they have the freedom to buy and sell their son/future client without fear of repercussions as long as there isn't a paper trail.

And not many have written about this aspect, but are we naive enough to think Cam Newton didn't know anything about this?

Seems like an ugly precedent to me. SEC football is the worst of college sports.

The worst of college sports? SEC Fans and the SEC game atmosphere is COLLEGE SPORTS. You have no clue.

There are dirty dealings etc but don't try to just pin this as an SEC problem.

Don't assume that Cam knew anything about any pay for play. You have no clue about what their father son relationship is like. So you have no insight into this matter to assume anything.

Think about the WR situation his dad goes on the radio and says one thing while the son immediately tweets the opposite. Should an athlete be punished for something they had no part in? I don't think so it is unfair. I agree it is a slippery slope and will be hard to differentiate between the guilty and innocent in the future. That is the way it has to be any other way is unfair.

The NCAA did move faster than normal on this and I am thankful for that. However, that is just the way it goes when a story is getting constant media attention. Yeah there is some pressure to not disqualify the best player in the country on the best team in the country. There is just as much pressure to make sure you get it right under that much scrutiny.

[billikenfan05]

I'm shocked nobody has compared Cam Newtons situation with Cody Ellis' situation. I am absolutely disgusted that it took an entire semester to get Cody cleared because of a pass/fail class and Cam Newton's dad (allegedly) asked for a large amount of money in exchange for his son's QB services and he gets cleared after a few weeks of investigating!!!

[doowop]

The worst of college sports? SEC Fans and the SEC game atmosphere is COLLEGE SPORTS. You have no clue.

There are dirty dealings etc but don't try to just pin this as an SEC problem.

Don't assume that Cam knew anything about any pay for play. You have no clue about what their father son relationship is like. So you have no insight into this matter to assume anything.

Think about the WR situation his dad goes on the radio and says one thing while the son immediately tweets the opposite. Should an athlete be punished for something they had no part in? I don't think so it is unfair. I agree it is a slippery slope and will be hard to differentiate between the guilty and innocent in the future. That is the way it has to be any other way is unfair.

The NCAA did move faster than normal on this and I am thankful for that. However, that is just the way it goes when a story is getting constant media attention. Yeah there is some pressure to not disqualify the best player in the country on the best team in the country. There is just as much pressure to make sure you get it right under that much scrutiny.

Are you familiar with the history of the SEC? That conference has had more cheating scandals in football than any other conference; and more questionable recruiting. Cheating goes on in many of the conferences but, the SEC has them all beat in football.

[kevinfootes]

The worst of college sports? SEC Fans and the SEC game atmosphere is COLLEGE SPORTS. You have no clue.

There are dirty dealings etc but don't try to just pin this as an SEC problem.

Don't assume that Cam knew anything about any pay for play. You have no clue about what their father son relationship is like. So you have no insight into this matter to assume anything.

Think about the WR situation his dad goes on the radio and says one thing while the son immediately tweets the opposite. Should an athlete be punished for something they had no part in? I don't think so it is unfair. I agree it is a slippery slope and will be hard to differentiate between the guilty and innocent in the future. That is the way it has to be any other way is unfair.

The NCAA did move faster than normal on this and I am thankful for that. However, that is just the way it goes when a story is getting constant media attention. Yeah there is some pressure to not disqualify the best player in the country on the best team in the country. There is just as much pressure to make sure you get it right under that much scrutiny.

Unfortunately, the SEC being in violation of NCAA rules is COLLEGE SPORTS as well. I think they're 2nd in all-time probations behind only the current Big 12. Ahh, the poor SEC.

[Pistol]

I'm shocked nobody has compared Cam Newtons situation with Cody Ellis' situation. I am absolutely disgusted that it took an entire semester to get Cody cleared because of a pass/fail class and Cam Newton's dad (allegedly) asked for a large amount of money in exchange for his son's QB services and he gets cleared after a few weeks of investigating!!!

I already beat you to it, 05. Earlier on this page:

"I don't get how the NCAA is fine with stuff like this but if an Australian kid takes a class pass/fail they make him sit for a semester."

Thank you for allowing me to quote myself.

[billikenfan05]

I already beat you to it, 05. Earlier on this page:

"I don't get how the NCAA is fine with stuff like this but if an Australian kid takes a class pass/fail they make him sit for a semester."

Thank you for allowing me to quote myself.

I have a tendency to skim posts.

[Pistol]

The worst of college sports? SEC Fans and the SEC game atmosphere is COLLEGE SPORTS. You have no clue.

There are dirty dealings etc but don't try to just pin this as an SEC problem.

Don't assume that Cam knew anything about any pay for play. You have no clue about what their father son relationship is like. So you have no insight into this matter to assume anything.

Think about the WR situation his dad goes on the radio and says one thing while the son immediately tweets the opposite. Should an athlete be punished for something they had no part in? I don't think so it is unfair. I agree it is a slippery slope and will be hard to differentiate between the guilty and innocent in the future. That is the way it has to be any other way is unfair.

The NCAA did move faster than normal on this and I am thankful for that. However, that is just the way it goes when a story is getting constant media attention. Yeah there is some pressure to not disqualify the best player in the country on the best team in the country. There is just as much pressure to make sure you get it right under that much scrutiny.

Your first sentence is exactly the SEC mentality: "Who cares what illegal stuff might be happening? We know how to party!" I can't deny the atmosphere of SEC games, but that doesn't sweep the egregious offenses of the conference's programs under the rug. It's a "Win at All Costs" environment if there ever was one, and if you feel otherwise your head is in the sand. The only programs that can keep up with SEC schools in terms of all-around corruption are Ohio State, USC, maybe Miami and Florida State- a select few. In the SEC (Vandy excepted), it is just a way of life.

I don't know Cam Newton and I don't know his father, so I don't know what their relationship is like. But if he's close enough to think he can land agents for his son, then Cam has to be a complete moron not to know his dad is already making hundreds of thousands of dollars on him. His dad would have to be divorced, living in a foreign country, and noncommunicative with his entire family to be able to hide that. If Cam didn't know about this, it makes him possibly the stupidest SEC athlete of all time, which I figured would take a frontal lobotomy to achieve.

This case makes me sick just to think what precedent may have been set. The NCAA has been finally cracking down in certain areas, and then they blow this hole open.

Say, for instance, Willie Reed's dad had been shopping him around to agents and pocketing six figures. We would all be completely outraged and the school (and the NCAA, because we aren't a darling of theirs) would take swift and decisive action against Willie. In the SEC, it's "Well, no way little ol' Cam could have known." I feel like every SEC case- the few that get caught, anyway- are presided over by the forgiving "Boys will be boys" judge from the Simpsons episode where they go on spring break in Florida. Hopefully he's also the one judge the Gators have, as 28 of them were arrested during Urban Meyer's first five years (and Jesus Christ's Tim Tebow's career; what a leader).

[TheA_Bomb]

You make so many sweeping assumptions about Cam, his father, payments and everything else. There are reports of one conversation about money of which multiple people supposedly involved in the conversation all said Cam was not there. Those are the only accusations I am aware of at this time. I will give the young man the benefit of the doubt. I am not ready to condemn all young athletes who have bad parents. Justice is giving each individual their due. Punishing the son for the sins of the father when there is no evidence the son knew, is unjust. If there was even a hint of him knowing, no way the NCAA clears him to play at this point.

There are no reports out there at this time that he was paid any money by Auburn.

I get it you don't like football and you probably don't like the South in general. That doesn't mean everyone is dirty and that a student athlete should be punished.

[Pistol]

You make so many sweeping assumptions about Cam, his father, payments and everything else. There are reports of one conversation about money of which multiple people supposedly involved in the conversation all said Cam was not there. Those are the only accusations I am aware of at this time. I will give the young man the benefit of the doubt. I am not ready to condemn all young athletes who have bad parents. Justice is giving each individual their due. Punishing the son for the sins of the father when there is no evidence the son knew, is unjust. If there was even a hint of him knowing, no way the NCAA clears him to play at this point.

There are no reports out there at this time that he was paid any money by Auburn.

I get it you don't like football and you probably don't like the South in general. That doesn't mean everyone is dirty and that a student athlete should be punished.

Once again, head in the sand. But I guess you have to do whatever it takes for you to feel good about rooting for those teams.

[TheA_Bomb]

I just prefer to make informed judgements. Doesn't your "social justice" view of the world allow that?

[Pistol]

If refusing to be naive and pointing out corruption in the SEC is "jumping to conclusions", then you set a pretty low bar for that. As for the social justice comment, I'm lost on that one.

Now I'll get back to the Rams game, where everyone is paid legally.

[TheA_Bomb]

I guess that moral superiority doesn't extend to cheering for a team that has a player responsible for the death of another person. There's just a bit more definitive evidence in that case. Therefore, to follow your line of reasoning the entire NFC West must be full of drunk drivers. But whatever you have to tell yourself......

[Pistol]

I guess that moral superiority doesn't extend to cheering for a team that has a player responsible for the death of another person. There's just a bit more definitive evidence in that case. Therefore, to follow your line of reasoning the entire NFC West must be full of drunk drivers. But whatever you have to tell yourself......

There is no player on the St. Louis Rams responsible for the death of another person. However, if it's the former Ram I think you're talking about, his vehicular manslaughter incident occurred just five months after graduating from Tennessee, an SEC school. I wish that conference would just stop littering the NFL with such nogoodniks.

P.S. Funny how we both have handles named after weapons. That never occurred to me until now.

[The Pelican]

I just prefer to make informed judgements. Doesn't your "social justice" view of the world allow that?

Lumbergh!