Yesterday by letter, the NCAA affirmed what most Auburn Tiger fans already knew, or believed. No major infractions at Auburn University in regards to the recruitment of eventual Heisman winning quarterback, Cam Newton.
It's been an interesting last 24 hours since the news broke. The Finebaum groupies and redneck support show was, as usual, full of non-sense and self-proclaimed insiders defending reps. Well known bloggers are still sure they're right, and Cam was on the take. Shoot, pulling into my hotel here in Tallahassee tonight, I'm listening to a radio show where the host is talking about how "over it" he is, while at the same time asking Auburn fans to remove their orange and blue glasses and really try to understand just how implausible it is that Cam didn't know and that Cecil HAD to have gotten paid. He went into the usual list of misconceptions, assumptions and fabrications, and it hit me...
How could he know any better?
He probably couldn't. Why? What does he have to work with in known facts? Not much. That's the problem here and why so many have problems "getting over it". Hell, if all I constantly heard on radio and TV how Cam had said, "The money was too much at Auburn", or how Cecil admitted to shopping his son for amounts of $180K plus, I'd be outraged, or at least stunned also.
Here's the problem though. Here's the reason most AU fans have had relative peace of mind despite those statements... THEY ARE INACCURATE.
When Joe Schad's report came out to follow up Mark Schlabach, Pat Forde and Chris Low's breaking story on Kenny Roger's pay-for-play actions on behalf of Mississippi State, he cited an "anonymous source" who claimed Cam Newton had placed an emotional call in the aftermath of his commitment to Auburn. During that call, Schad's still anonymous source claims Newton said "...but the money was too much." Notice anything missing?
Enter the childhood game of Telephone. In this schoolhouse game, a teacher will give a note or message to a particular student or child. This child then turns and whispers the given message to another child. This continues until the last child has been given the message. Most often the message is a completely different message than the original. It is a game that teaches kids to pay attention and to take care in relaying information so that the end user has correct information.
The Cam Newton barrage following Schad's report became a large game of Telephone between every blog, AP writer in need of a follow up story on the sensational QB seemingly now on the take. The story morphed and grew and grew. Everybody short of the late J. Edgar Hoover was supposedly investigating AU and the infamous Newton. The Newton saga was tied to every story it could be linked to via message boards and the off-kiltered crazies on late afternoon radio.
Nobody, or source, has ever come forward to admit taking that call where Cam gave his tearful reasonings. No backup from Schad. No accusations from the known participants from Mississippi State indicting Newton for saying such a thing. Oh...and the missing part? "...at Auburn." That was never reported by anyone, but is the single most repeated and pointed to statement by Cam detractors. However, nobody can come up with a source for it. It's a message misdelivered by overzealous media looking to create a story. Period.
So what about Cecil Newton. Certainly he "shopped" Cam. The NCAA proved that! Right? Wrong. The NCAA found, and Cecil admitted to having "discussions" with Kenny Rogers acting on behalf of MSU. That's it. Not a single other person from a single other university has reported improper solicitations from Cecil or anyone else associated with Newton and his recruitment. Cecil Newton on the rare occassions he has spoken has chosen to not talk about the investigation and simply points to the NCAA findings.
In the summer leading into this current season, Auburn was courting another one year QB in a position to make the biggest bang he could with one last remaining year of eligibility, Russel Wilson. In the end, although Auburn appealed to Wilson, the smarter long term decision led him to a much more experienced and deep Wisconsin Badger team. Nobody has cried foul, and is an absolutely reasonable reason to choose one school over another.
Cam Newton faced this same decision before last season. Take out Cecil's known conversation with Kenny Rogers and ask yourself if it's any different than Wilson's decision this year. Cam Newton chose the deeper, more experienced Auburn team over a rebuilding and inexperienced MSU. It's not a brain busting or puzzling decision.
So, black helicopter pilots, isn't it JUST (if not more) likely that Kenny Rogers arranged that conversation with Cecil in attempt to lure a waivering commitment to MSU from Newton? If Newton listened and admitted to having those discussions with Rogers, is it really all that hard to think he might have kept it to himself and not shared it with his family? I don't think most reasonable folks would think so either.
The bottom line is that Cecil discussed money for play at MSU. Nobody knows for sure if the call, Schad report's, actually happened. Schad himself has never even followed up on it. At minimum, Cam never said "at Auburn" in any reported conversation about cash for play.
So to the Thayer's, Schad's, Brook's, Travis's, Finebaums, self-proclaimed Legends, Dr. Saturdays, and others that chose, or continue to choose innuendo or believe only the passed along note whispered between the mutually unknowing, this Heisman pose is for you.
You don't even need to wait for legal proceedings, wire taps, gambling trials, cell phone voicemails, or blowhards paid to throttle the company line to see it. Its right in front of you.
For AU fans, we (if I may steal a partial line from Mr. Samuel L. Jackson) don't need to do anything but love Auburn...and...well...
Chop
It's been an interesting last 24 hours since the news broke. The Finebaum groupies and redneck support show was, as usual, full of non-sense and self-proclaimed insiders defending reps. Well known bloggers are still sure they're right, and Cam was on the take. Shoot, pulling into my hotel here in Tallahassee tonight, I'm listening to a radio show where the host is talking about how "over it" he is, while at the same time asking Auburn fans to remove their orange and blue glasses and really try to understand just how implausible it is that Cam didn't know and that Cecil HAD to have gotten paid. He went into the usual list of misconceptions, assumptions and fabrications, and it hit me...
How could he know any better?
He probably couldn't. Why? What does he have to work with in known facts? Not much. That's the problem here and why so many have problems "getting over it". Hell, if all I constantly heard on radio and TV how Cam had said, "The money was too much at Auburn", or how Cecil admitted to shopping his son for amounts of $180K plus, I'd be outraged, or at least stunned also.
Here's the problem though. Here's the reason most AU fans have had relative peace of mind despite those statements... THEY ARE INACCURATE.
When Joe Schad's report came out to follow up Mark Schlabach, Pat Forde and Chris Low's breaking story on Kenny Roger's pay-for-play actions on behalf of Mississippi State, he cited an "anonymous source" who claimed Cam Newton had placed an emotional call in the aftermath of his commitment to Auburn. During that call, Schad's still anonymous source claims Newton said "...but the money was too much." Notice anything missing?
Enter the childhood game of Telephone. In this schoolhouse game, a teacher will give a note or message to a particular student or child. This child then turns and whispers the given message to another child. This continues until the last child has been given the message. Most often the message is a completely different message than the original. It is a game that teaches kids to pay attention and to take care in relaying information so that the end user has correct information.
The Cam Newton barrage following Schad's report became a large game of Telephone between every blog, AP writer in need of a follow up story on the sensational QB seemingly now on the take. The story morphed and grew and grew. Everybody short of the late J. Edgar Hoover was supposedly investigating AU and the infamous Newton. The Newton saga was tied to every story it could be linked to via message boards and the off-kiltered crazies on late afternoon radio.
Nobody, or source, has ever come forward to admit taking that call where Cam gave his tearful reasonings. No backup from Schad. No accusations from the known participants from Mississippi State indicting Newton for saying such a thing. Oh...and the missing part? "...at Auburn." That was never reported by anyone, but is the single most repeated and pointed to statement by Cam detractors. However, nobody can come up with a source for it. It's a message misdelivered by overzealous media looking to create a story. Period.
So what about Cecil Newton. Certainly he "shopped" Cam. The NCAA proved that! Right? Wrong. The NCAA found, and Cecil admitted to having "discussions" with Kenny Rogers acting on behalf of MSU. That's it. Not a single other person from a single other university has reported improper solicitations from Cecil or anyone else associated with Newton and his recruitment. Cecil Newton on the rare occassions he has spoken has chosen to not talk about the investigation and simply points to the NCAA findings.
In the summer leading into this current season, Auburn was courting another one year QB in a position to make the biggest bang he could with one last remaining year of eligibility, Russel Wilson. In the end, although Auburn appealed to Wilson, the smarter long term decision led him to a much more experienced and deep Wisconsin Badger team. Nobody has cried foul, and is an absolutely reasonable reason to choose one school over another.
Cam Newton faced this same decision before last season. Take out Cecil's known conversation with Kenny Rogers and ask yourself if it's any different than Wilson's decision this year. Cam Newton chose the deeper, more experienced Auburn team over a rebuilding and inexperienced MSU. It's not a brain busting or puzzling decision.
So, black helicopter pilots, isn't it JUST (if not more) likely that Kenny Rogers arranged that conversation with Cecil in attempt to lure a waivering commitment to MSU from Newton? If Newton listened and admitted to having those discussions with Rogers, is it really all that hard to think he might have kept it to himself and not shared it with his family? I don't think most reasonable folks would think so either.
The bottom line is that Cecil discussed money for play at MSU. Nobody knows for sure if the call, Schad report's, actually happened. Schad himself has never even followed up on it. At minimum, Cam never said "at Auburn" in any reported conversation about cash for play.
So to the Thayer's, Schad's, Brook's, Travis's, Finebaums, self-proclaimed Legends, Dr. Saturdays, and others that chose, or continue to choose innuendo or believe only the passed along note whispered between the mutually unknowing, this Heisman pose is for you.
You don't even need to wait for legal proceedings, wire taps, gambling trials, cell phone voicemails, or blowhards paid to throttle the company line to see it. Its right in front of you.
For AU fans, we (if I may steal a partial line from Mr. Samuel L. Jackson) don't need to do anything but love Auburn...and...well...
Chop
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