Jim Tressel and the Wise Monkeys: When Players Try to Get Paid, Who Should Be Blamed?

(This piece originally was posted on Rock M Nation.)


My son turns four just after the first game of this coming season. Unless some weird recessive genes kick in, he probably won't be playing Division 1 FBS football when it's time for him to go to college. (And unless some other things about the game change, he won't be playing football at all. But that's another topic.)

If he does somehow manage to become a football star, though, my wife and I will have to be very careful in the vetting process. We'd want him to go someplace where he can be successful, a place where he'd enjoy the campus life (but not too much), a place where he can get a good education in a field he wants to study. And selfishly, it would need to be somewhere his mother and I would enjoy visiting a few time a year.

I'd want him to play for a good coaching staff. I want his position coach to be someone we really connect with and that he connects with as well; a coach that we'd trust our son with.

I'd want his head coach to be someone we could connect with as well; he should also be someone we would feel comfortable entrusting our son with.

Oh, and that coach should also be brilliant during game days and have a little of the three wise monkeys in him the rest of the week.

Yeah, the three wise monkeys. Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

I mean, what program doesn't want a head coach that sees nothing going on that's wrong, hears no malfeasance and doesn't say a word about wrongdoing because, well, there's nothing wrong.

Isn't that how this is supposed to work? Aren't head coaches supposed to be kept out of the loop when players are driving fancy cars or showing up with a lot of tattoos when you know that said players isn't from a background that can afford new cars or (literally) thousands of dollars of tattoos.

I have one tattoo. It's not small, and it's on my right bicep. I live in a not that cheap part of the country, and my simple tattoo cost $100. Even allowing for things to be cheaper in Columbus, Ohio than they are in Las Vegas, there's no way that somebody on the Ohio State coaching staff shouldn't have caught on to the fact that their players—many of whom are from disadvantaged or highly disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds—suddenly had half or full sleeves of ink.

It's not like they were saving up refund checks from their scholarships.

Yes, Ohio State is an easy target because they are in the news right now. But look around at any of the FBS programs. Don't tell me that athletes aren't trading on their name recognition. Given the way that the system is setup for some of them now, it's the only thing that they have to use.

Does that make it right? No. Even if the rules that are in place are crappy, that doesn't mean you have the right to go around breaking them and flaunt the fact that you're breaking the rules.

But for a coach to act like the three wise monkeys, or even worse, act shocked that there is gambling going on in here, is even more worrisome to me. Does all of the detail work that goes into film study and game planning, the work of hiring a staff and working on recruiting, helping to gladhand alumni and do media appearances...does all of that detail work and micromanagement leave one blind to the fact that players are accepting graft from a variety of sources?

The question, I guess, is this: Who should ultimately be held responsible when players get in trouble for selling memorabilia and merchandise? Does it strictly depend on who is doing it? Or, if it's been going on for almost a decade and the coach(es) either actively or inactively turned a blind eye to what was going on, do people higher up the chain need to be held accountable?

Lost Soul, Empty Vest

(This column originally appeared on Southern Pigskin)

He was the Senator. The Sweater Vest. The Righteous One who did things “the right way.”


In the end, though, he turned out to be a lost soul in an empty vest.

Jim Tressel “resigned” Monday. Walked away. Or maybe he ran. Perhaps he was pushed as more and more details from this sordid affair continue to dribble out of the holes from sources along the Olentangy River in Columbus.

He might hate this characterization, but Tressel was somewhat deified. That is something that is to be expected of a coach’s fanbase to be sure, especially when that coach does what the previous coach never seemed to do—in this case, beat Michigan.

To a certain extent, though, Tressel was also godded up by a complicit coterie of media and analysts eager to find what I would call the “anti-Saban.” A coach who wasn’t unnecessarily bristly with the media, with a certain amount of charm and charisma who could field a national title contender just about every season with something resembling balance in his life. It wasn’t just football 24-7-365.

Wow. Looks like a lot of folks were fooled.

It’s hard not to be cynical in this day and age when covering or following college football. It’s not like scandals are something new that popped up today; one of the most famous cases (the SMU “Death Penalty”) happened 25 years ago. Every few years, there seems to be some kind of tale.

Hell, during last season we had the North Carolina Agent-gate situation, with several overlapping suspensions derailing what should have been an ACC-title for the Tarheels.

Oh, and there was that little situation with the preacher’s son and a transfer of schools and $180,000. I wonder what the resolution of that case was?

But this time it is different. This is Ohio State, members of the illustrious Big Ten Conference—a conference that would never have one of its members stoop so low as to besmirch themselves with even the hint of a scandal. Let alone a scandal of this proportion.

Things like this don’t happen with Big Ten teams, where players are getting tattoos in exchange for trinkets or game-used gear. The Big Ten doesn’t have players and their families getting access to nice cars under questionable circumstances.

Quarterbacks of Big Ten teams don’t get caught driving multiple cars over a three year period because their car is “in the shop” or because they want “to get the opinion of their family” about a car and yet they never seem to commit to a new ride.

Maybe we all should have listened when Maurice Clarett spoke up in 2003.

Turns out that much like Jose Canseco, even whistleblowers with checkered pasts can be right.

B-U-S-T-E-D!

(This column originally appeared on Southern Pigskin)

Legacy is an interesting word. For Ohio State's Jim Tressel, his legacy involves Marurice Clarett, Troy Smith and now Tatgate. But hey, he beats Michigan.


If there is one maxim that web 2.0 has taught us here in the 21st century it is this:

You can’t take anyone being a “good guy” on faith anymore.

Sure, there may be people that do good things, but it is becoming harder and harder to find a good guy.Don’t believe me?

Look at what is happening right now in Columbus, Ohio.

Oh sure, Jim Tressel has had a bit of a reputation outside of Ohio as a shady figure, a “Teflon coach” to a certain degree.

Maurice Clarett’s situation. Troy Smith being suspended for a bowl game for improper benefits. Tatgate.

But Tressel has managed to escape having anything stick to him until this week, when Ohio State was forced to admit that Tressel knew about the situation with the Ohio State players (including star quarterback Terrell Pryor) receiving improper benefits in the form of tattoos by trading or selling various awards and trinkets.
Ohio State reported the violations in December 2010 and the players were still allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl this past January before serving out suspensions at the start of the 2011 season.

Apparently, Jim Tressel found out about the situation and what the players were doing…in April of 2010.

April 2010?

Yes, April 2010. That means that Tressel knowingly played players that should have been suspended pending investigation. Hell, use the catch-all “suspended for violating team rules” line until the investigation is complete and call it a day.

How would that have been any less damning that what has happened over the past three months?

Did I mention that on September 13, Tressel signed an NCAA Certificate of Compliance that stated that he had reported any known violations to the NCAA?

Whoops. That means that not only did Tressel lie to his own athletic director and compliance department, he also lied to the NCAA.

When Bruce Pearl was caught in lies regarding improper recruiting, he was suspended by Mike Slive for half of conference play and fined $1 million by Tennessee.

Ohio State suspended Tressel for two games and fined him $250,000.

I’m sorry, but that’s not enough.

Ohio State had a chance to make a stand and didn’t. If some of the players involved in this situation got suspended for five games, Tressel needed to be gone for at least as long – if not longer.

He is the head coach. Ostensibly, he is the man in charge (and if Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee is to be believed, he is truly the man in charge at Ohio State – even above him) and he should be held to a higher standard.

If you write books about leadership, and talk and preach about instilling integrity in the men that you are leading and then don’t walk the talk, you should be punished accordingly.

Let’s see if Jim Delany or the NCAA will do what Ohio State’s leadership was too spineless to do.

I don’t have a whole lot of faith, though.

Where I spent my spring hiatus: Looking for paid work and getting a wonderful unpaid offer

This hiatus was not fueled by wanderlust, or boredom as much as it was fueled by a need to focus on finding gainful employment for myself in my current field.

As the end of my contract arrives in two weeks, I have to date been unsuccessful in securing a new position, so a major transition is on the horizon unless a deus ex machina arrives by Thursday, June 30 at 5pm PDT.

So there hasn't been too much writing going on for me at all. At least, not until a couple of weeks ago.

A long time friend of mine, Bill Connelly of Football Outsiders and Football Study Hall, co-manages an SBNation site called Rock M Nation. It's a blog for Mizzou fans (my alma mater). He asked me to come aboard as an author for the site, covering national college football issues. I eagerly accepted without hesitation (once I got the emails and Twitter DMs).

Um...wait. Isn't this already a national college football blog? And don't you do something similar for Southern Pigskin already? Don't the call you their "National Football Columnist" when you go on The Fan Sports Radio in Coastal Georgia?

Yes, yes this is already a national college football blog, and yes, I do write a national column for Southern Pigskin. And I plan to continue this blog, and that column for Southern Pigskin in addition to the work I do for Rock M Nation.

I've still got to figure out the rhythm of things, but once the season starts, Tuesdays will probably be my day at Rock M Nation (it's floating right now), Thursdays will typically be my day at Southern Pigskin, and the rest of the time I will be here.

It'll take me a little time to get reorganized here; I was away a lot longer than I initially planned. But once I shake the cobwebs out we should be back in business for a good while.

In the meantime, I will post the work I did for Southern Pigskin and for Rock M Nation. Those will roll out later today.

A brief blog hiatus

I've been pretty sparse here for the last couple of months, but I am formally taking a break from the blog and from college football until May.

I'm not a big college recruiting guy anyway, so it's not going to cut into anything I wouldn't have been covering anyway. But I have some work and family issues to deal with, and another writing project that I haven't been able to focus on, and desperately needs to get done.

So I will turn off the lights for now, and may show up for an occasional bit of dusting during this break.

Instant Feedback: Auburn 22, Oregon 19

I'm not one to be hyperbolic about calling the most recent thing I've seen "the greatest."



Oregon and Auburn staged a decent game in the desert of Arizona Monday evening. I won't call it great.
There was the requisite drama, with Oregon scoring a touchdown with less than three minutes remaining in the game to force a tie.

There was a game winning kick by Wes Byrum with no time left on the clock, giving the Southeast Conference claim to the fifth straight Bowl Championship Series title (the fourth school to win during this streak) and running the SEC's record in BCS title games to 7-0.

There was Chip Kelly, playing the role usually reserved for Les Miles with a two-point conversion try completed on an option toss from the holder to the kicker, and there was a fake punt in Oregon territory to extend a drive late.

But there were also mistakes by both teams. Oregon had an interception in the red zone early, got stopped on fourth and goal from the one, and also gave up a safety after holding Auburn out of the end zone.
Auburn appeared to have the game in hand before a Cam Newton fumble (forced by Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews) gave the Ducks the ball late in the fourth quarter leading to the game tying drive.

But there was still some magic left for Auburn, with stud freshman Michael Dyer being reminded by an alert Auburn sideline to keep running after he appeared to be stopped for a modest gain. Dyer’s knee never went down on the play, and his 37 yard run put the Tigers deep into Oregon territory, eventually setting up Byrum’s chip shot.

The story of the game, though, was the Auburn defensive front. The Tiger’s front seven, led by stud defensive tackle Nick Fairley, held the Oregon Ducks, who averaged over 300 yards per game on the ground during the regular season, to 81 yards rushing for the game.

Auburn made Oregon look tentative on offense at times, forcing quarterback Darron Thomas to make some incorrect reads in the option game and picking him off twice. Thomas did pass for 363 yards, but the tempo and rhythm of the Ducks’ attack never seemed to be there.

Over the last five years, challengers from the Big 12 (Oklahoma/Texas), the Big Ten (Ohio State) and the Pac-10 (Oregon) have faced the SEC in title games. None have come out victors.

There have been offensive explosions and slugfests. It is becoming harder and harder to deny this: the SEC, right now, is king.

Bowl Season Priorities? Not watching too many games

Okay, so let’s start today by mocking, I mean, discussing the new names for the division of the Big Ten, and why they are nonsensical. “Leaders” and “Legends?” Was that focus group tested? And the new logo looks like something that was sketched up in MS Paint in about fifteen minutes.

Excuse me?

Yes?

You’re not going to talk about bowl games?

I was hoping I wouldn’t have to answer this question. No, no I am not.

May I ask why? It is after all, the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of games featuring teams that wouldn’t normally schedule each other any other way. It’s a bevy of riches.

Well, since you asked, I’ll be blunt: There are only two bowl games that I directly care about: my alma mater’s game in late December and the BCS Championship game on January 10. Oh, and the Sugar Bowl, but that’s because I’m married to an Ohio native. So I guess it’s three that I care about.

What? You only care about three bowl games? Isn’t that un-American? Why aren’t you dedicating more of your life the next three weeks to watching games, damnit?

Well, I have family visiting, and there’s Christmas coming up and I have to work the week after Christmas. Look, it’s not like I don’t want to watch the games; I am something of a college football addict and will acknowledge that. But circumstances don’t allow for me to fill time with 35 bowl games. So I’m picking and choosing.

But don’t you love the bowl system. As Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel told you on Twitter, “[T]hey're fun… they distinguish college from NFL, because thousands make an annual vacation out of it.”

Yes, they do distinguish college from the NFL. But given that intercollegiate athletics are a multi-billion dollar industry in its own right, and the arms races in certain conferences where it is rumored that a guy who was a high school coach six years ago is being offered head jobs for $3 million a year, that wall is crumbling just a bit, no?

I also can’t argue that they aren’t fun. Some games are thrilling, to be sure. Hell, one of the most exciting games from last season was an early bowl game between Idaho and Bowling Green.

But this idea that thousands make an annual vacation out of it? I don’t know how much water that actually holds. Some do; no question about that.

It’s not that easy, though, to get a flight at the last minute that isn’t going to run you hundreds of dollars – even with carriers like Southwest. And travel during the holiday season is always going to be a cost prohibitive measure because everyone wants to fly hither and yon, so room rates will go up in warmer climates (which is where most of these bowl games are).

Oh, and if you want to buy your ticket through your school, there is a chance you’ll be gouged on the price of the ticket, paying more than the value than you could get on a site like Stubhub.

Why would you want to buy your ticket through your school? Well, you want to do that so that you school won’t be forced to eat the cost of the unsold tickets and have those unsold tickets count against the bowl payout.

So you’d rather deny those hardworking student athletes a reward for a good season?

Nope. Not saying that at all. However, if we are going to keep this bowl system in the name of almighty tradition, we need to shore some things up, and mainly keep it as a reward of sorts. If you have a mediocre season, I don’t see that as being a reason to get sent to a bowl game – especially since it’s not like all of the bowls are in warm weather destinations. I grew up in New York City; it was never warm in December. Granted, it might be warmer than Syracuse that time of year, but I have feeling that Manhattan, Kansas and the Bronx are probably about a draw.

We’re not rewarding success with 70 bowl games; we’re accepting mediocrity and it’s getting close to the point of having participatory trophies for simply showing up for 12 games a season. I would rather see the number of bowls cut down, only 8-4 teams or better being allowed to go, and an adjustment to how the payouts are done so as not to hold an institution hostage and force them into the red for a glorified exhibition game.

Anyway, that’s why I’ve only got three bowl games that are appointment viewing. I might check in on the others, but like I said earlier, I’ve got plans. If you want to watch them all, feel free. But I won’t be glued to my television set.

The Woodchipper

With the breaking news of Urban Meyer's second resignation from the Florida Gators dropping today (courtesy of Brett McMurphy of AOL Fanhouse), and due to a discussion on Twitter with BCSChick and Lonely Tailgater, I decided to run through the coaching database and come up with who has been coaching at their current institution for at least ten seasons, so the line of demarcation is 2001.

There are a few special circumstances, where coaches left programs and returned. But in that case, if their total years add up to 10 or more, they were included.

Without further ado, listed in alphabetical order by institution (Coaching years in parentheses):
Randy Edsall - UConn (1999)
Howard Schnellenberger - Florida Atlantic (2001)
Pat Hill - Fresno State (1997)
Mark Richt - Georgia (2001)
Kirk Ferentz - Iowa (1999)
Bill Snyder - Kansas State (1989-2005; 2009-present)
Ralph Friedgen - Maryland (2001)
Gary Pinkel - Missouri (2001)
Chris Ault - Nevada (1976-1992; 1994-1995; 2004-present)
Jim Tressel - Ohio State (2001)
Bob Stoops - Oklahoma (1999)
Mike Riley - Oregon State (1997-1998; 2003-present)
Joe Paterno - Penn State (1966)
Greg Schiano - Rutgers (2001)
Mack Brown - Texas (1998)
Gary Patterson - TCU (2000)
Larry Blakeney - Troy (1991)
Frank Beamer - Virginia Tech (1987)
Jim Grobe - Wake Forest (2001)

NCAA Cam Newton Ruling Puzzling

So Cam Newton's father Cecil Newton, Sr. did request money for Cam Newton to play at Mississippi State. But allegedly, Cam knew nothing about that request. So he eligible to play in this weekend's SEC Championship Game against South Carolina with a trip to the BCS Championship and the Heisman Trophy on the line.

Newton's father will have limited access to the Auburn program, according to the NCAA. This basically means he can hang with his son and watch Auburn games, but that's probably about it from what I can gather.

Nothing will happen to Auburn.

Now, there's one other thing: All of that is based on the evidence that was before the NCAA at this time. The NCAA doesn't comment on potential or on-going investigations. And from what I can see, they haven't completely closed the book on this case yet.

If it turns out that the Newtons received extra benefits from Auburn, trust me: Auburn will feel the hammer from the NCAA. But as of right now, there doesn't seem to be any evidence that links Auburn to a payment to Cecil Newton.

Yes, yes, I know: there was a report from ESPN.com's Joe Schad that stated that Cam Newton told someone he wanted to go to Mississippi State, but the money from Auburn was "too much."

However, don't you think that if there was any validity to that report, that Newton would have been held out at some point prior? Or that the NCAA would have declared him ineligible?

Yes, Cecil Newton solicited for money from Mississippi State. But what some people are missing is that: a) no money changed hands and; b) Cam isn't at MSU.

So while what Cecil Newton did was appalling, it is hard to prove that Cam knew what his father was doing. These meetings being discussed were clandestine and I have yet to see that Cam was along for the ride to any of them.

How, then, can you punish the son for the sins of the father if the sin was merely asking for cash?

Do I think that this opens a loophole for parents or other relatives acting on behalf of players to ask for money from teams? No, I don't. Because receiving extra benefits is still a major violation (see Bush, Reggie for proof of that). And no, the Bush case, to me, is not relevant here at all. In that case, extra benefits were provided and received by both family and student-athlete in that scenario. The student-athlete in question received benefits of his own and even if he hadn't, there is no way that he could not have known about the house.

It's like people trying to compare Cam Newton's situation to the one involving University of Kentucky basketball player Enes Kanter and the fact that his family received benefits from a team over in his native Turkey. Again, notice the distinction: Benefits received vs. benefits asked for.

I can understand how some folks might think it is wrong. But in this case, as far as I am concerned, the NCAA got things right. Until further evidence is presented, Cam Newton should be allowed to play.

Black Friday to be Great for College Football

The term “Black Friday,” when associated with the day after Thanksgiving, is a day when the Christmas shopping season begins in earnest. If you’re willing to get up early enough (or now, willing to stay up late enough) and brave the crowds, you can find some great deals and steals.

College football fans will experience their own Black Friday this week, as a bevy of wonderful football action can be had simply for the cost of time spent away from the family and the crazy shoppers and plopped in front of the TV, at a sports bar or in a man cave somewhere.

Now that I think about it, the Black Friday analogy may not be the best descriptor for the bounty we can expect on Friday. Perhaps it would make more sense to refer to this Friday’s slate as “Thanksgiving 2: Cornucopia’s Revenge.”

There’s the crudités platter of MAC action, with division titles on the line if Northern Illinois can beat Eastern Michigan and Ohio can take out Kent State. Much like the celery/bell pepper/carrot platter, they will largely be ignored. Louisville/Rutgers and West Virginia/Pitt serve as the pre-dinner cocktails (because you will need some semblance of alcohol to get through those games).

Of course, all roads lead to the main event of Friday, the Iron Bowl. This is the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy of the day. Full of drama, intrigue and the chance of something crazy happening—just like the archetypal meal taking place on Thursday afternoon for most families. Last year, it was Auburn taking the Tide down to the wire; this year, Alabama gets to try and derail a championship run for the Tigers. Add in Cam Newton playing on the road against a hated rival while still under investigation, and it will be a wild scene in Tuscaloosa.

Filling in for the sweet potato/pumpkin pie in our football games as meal analogy, we have Arizona traveling to the Autzen Zoo to face Oregon. And for those who need a late night snack after gorging on food most of the day, we have the late kickoff of Boise State at Nevada.

When the light dawns on Saturday, there could be complete and utter chaos in the BCS, or the status quo could be set in relatively firm stone. I will say this though: it should be a helluva Black Friday.

Northwestern/Illinois Game Takes A Turn

On Monday, when I first saw pictures of the field for the Northwestern-Illinois game this coming weekend at Wrigley Field, my first reaction was, "Really?"

The end zone at the east end of the field, near the right field wall, wasn't even a full end zone. The bleachers cut off part of it, and the brick wall (while padded) essentially jutted out into the field of play. Good luck running any deep posts into the end zone or running anything other than shallow crosses from inside the five yard line.

It seemed like a recipe for disaster. As Matt Zemek of College Football News put it on Twitter: "If you're a parent of an Illinois or Northwestern WR / TE / RB / DB / CB / SS / FS-- any perimeter player--U should want this field re-drawn."

The layout was apparently approved by representatives of both Illinois and Northwestern. But today, the Big Ten stepped in and pulled a Lee Corso. Not so fast, my friends from the Land of Lincoln:

"The Big Ten Conference announced a series of adjustments to football playing rules in order to enhance student-athlete safety for the Illinois-Northwestern game to be played on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Wrigley Field in Chicago."

It would have been nice if the league had stepped in earlier during the surveying process for laying down the grid, but whatever. It's 24 hours to kickoff. Maybe they'll cut down the end zone at the west side and make it only 8 yards, or cut both back to be equitable, but I'm sure it'll be something simple.

Um:

The following rule changes were determined to be the best of all options and will be in effect for this game only based on the unique layout of the field.
1) All offensive plays will head toward the West end zone, including all extra points and all overtime possessions.
2) All kickoffs will be kicked toward the East end zone.
3) After every change of possession, the ball will be repositioned for the offense to head toward the West end zone.
4) As a result of a coin toss held by the conference office Friday morning, Illinois will occupy the West team bench in the first half and Northwestern will occupy the West team bench in the second half and for all overtime periods.

If you bought tickets for the East End Zone, how upset are you today that outside of kickoffs and turnovers returned for touchdowns, you aren't going to see any game action? I would be livid, personally.

I appreciate the fact that someone finally decided, after seeing the field, that enough was enough and that you really couldn't play a game in that configuration. Like I said upstream, it would have been better if this had occurred before the grid was actually laid down to find a better orientation for the field, but whatever.

Here's a thought, though: If you wanted to play a football game in the city of Chicago this weekend, wouldn't it have been nice to have scheduled the game in a venue that is actually designed for football? A novel concept, I know. If only the city of Chicago had such a facility.

Oh, wait. It does. It's called Soldier Field. And from what I can see, it's available this weekend.

Is it as iconic as Wrigley Field? Probably not, especially since the rebuild in 2003. But it wouldn't have allowed the game to become a mockery, either.

Unpacking The Current World of Cameron Newton

So let me see if I've got some of this straight.

In the last two weeks, Cam Newton has gone from potential Heisman frontrunner and a positive, happy redemption story in college football to an academic fraud at the University of Florida and (in conjunction with his father) pure chattel to be sold to the highest bidder for his on-field talents and skill set. Oh, and Cam Newton also may or may not be part of the New World Order, threw the ballots from some counties in Florida in 2000 out the window and may or may not have been behind the break up of the Beatles.

Does that sound about right?

I mean, it can't be any crazier than what is currently being reported on by various media outlets. The final straw happened on Twitter today, when it was tweeted and retweeted that a reporter from ESPN Radio in Dallas was alleging that the NCAA was going to suspend Cam Newton later this afternoon. When he was contacted, the reporter in question said that he never said that.

Oops. A false alarm.Misinformation gets out, gets retweeted and then when disproven just vanishes in a cloud of smoke as if it never happened.

Meanwhile, the Newton's are either being mocked for neither confirming nor denying the reports or for emphatically denying wrong doing—possibly because there are so many things that are being thrown their way that they cannot keep up.

There are reports. At this time, there is no concrete evidence suggesting that Newton or his father, Cecil Sr., received any monetary benefits for his enrolling at Auburn. There is no direct paper trail that has come to light that I've seen reported anywhere.

Until that can be proven, he should be eligible at Auburn unless Auburn decides to pull him off the field until the investigation is resolved or the NCAA states that he is ineligible and cannot play.

With regards to his academics, that is simply a red herring to me. Academic issues at the school he attended two (two!) instituions ago should, to me, have nothing to do with his ability to play at Auburn—again, unless Auburn decides it is relevant.

I'm not naive enough to think that players don't get sold to the highest bidder, or that players don't cheat. College students cheat. College students like money. That's a fact of life.

I'm also not naive enough to think that Cam Newton can't be judged because of allegations. In the court of public opinion, you can be convicted on the flimsiest bits of evidence. Hell, you can be convicted without any evidence; rampant speculation can be enough until you demonstrate concretely that you are innocent.

What I want, and will continue to cry out for, though, is patience. Let the investigation run its course. Let the evidence come to light and breathe. Then we will decide if Cam Newton and/or his family broke the rules. If he or his family are guilty, then convict them and run them into the ground if you so choose.

Just don't put the cart before the horse.