Cam Newton and Auburn - other shoe about to drop?

[knapplc]

USA Today's Danny Sheridan Says He Knows Name of Cam Newton Payor

Danny Sheridan, USA Today's odds handicapper, Tweeted the following message today: "I've been told the name of the person the NCAA feels allegedly paid Cecil Newton & where witness is. more when on Finebaum this week." This tweet follows up on the allegation Sheridan made at SEC Media Days last month. Appearing on Paul Finebaum's radio show from the Wynfrey Hotel lobby, Sheridan said that the NCAA believed it had identified a bagman in the Cam Newton case and had a witness who could verify the payoff. At the time Sheridan said it was 50/50 whether the witness would cooperate with the NCAA.

The allegation spread like wildfire and led to Auburn coach Gene Chizik being asked about the bagman at SEC media days.

Here was that exchange:

Q. Danny Sheridan said on a radio show here in Alabama yesterday he had sources at the NCAA that said they think they found a third-party bagman that helped in recruiting Cam Newton to Auburn and tied that in with Auburn. I was wondering about your response to his statements.

COACH CHIZIK: I’ll make this real clear. The NCAA on more than one occasion has said that Auburn has done nothing wrong in the recruitment of Cam Newton. Nothing’s changed.

Again, can’t control everybody’s microphone. Can’t control everybody’s opinion. Don’t try to. But, again, I’ll say as I’ve said it maybe the fifth time today. I feel really good when my head hits the pillow tonight.

I would love for this to be true. I gotta believe this is also the rumored Yahoo! Sports "10" story.

 

[Treand3]

We'll see, we'll see...there's been some smoke but its been light as of late

 

[nowhereman]

USA Today's Danny Sheridan Says He Knows Name of Cam Newton Payor

Danny Sheridan, USA Today's odds handicapper, Tweeted the following message today: "I've been told the name of the person the NCAA feels allegedly paid Cecil Newton & where witness is. more when on Finebaum this week." This tweet follows up on the allegation Sheridan made at SEC Media Days last month. Appearing on Paul Finebaum's radio show from the Wynfrey Hotel lobby, Sheridan said that the NCAA believed it had identified a bagman in the Cam Newton case and had a witness who could verify the payoff. At the time Sheridan said it was 50/50 whether the witness would cooperate with the NCAA.

The allegation spread like wildfire and led to Auburn coach Gene Chizik being asked about the bagman at SEC media days.

Here was that exchange:

Q. Danny Sheridan said on a radio show here in Alabama yesterday he had sources at the NCAA that said they think they found a third-party bagman that helped in recruiting Cam Newton to Auburn and tied that in with Auburn. I was wondering about your response to his statements.

COACH CHIZIK: I’ll make this real clear. The NCAA on more than one occasion has said that Auburn has done nothing wrong in the recruitment of Cam Newton. Nothing’s changed.

Again, can’t control everybody’s microphone. Can’t control everybody’s opinion. Don’t try to. But, again, I’ll say as I’ve said it maybe the fifth time today. I feel really good when my head hits the pillow tonight.

I would love for this to be true. I gotta believe this is also the rumored Yahoo! Sports "10" story.

I think the Yahoo story is going to be Miami. It's supposed to drop this evening or tomorrow morning, and it's going to be "big" according to other reporters who have gotten a whiff of it. Players getting tens-of-thousands in cash, etc. Bo should consider himself lucky he didn't take the offer to coach the 'Canes last year. This could potentially affect us as well since we have a series scheduled with them. If the scandal is as huge as advertised, Miami might be looking at a TV ban.

 

[redblooded]

Miami would've been big 20 years ago. If that's the '10' its going to get a giant "who cares" from pretty much every college football fan outside of Florida or the ACC and SI will learn to not hype stuff so far in advance because they'll never come close to a month of speculation.

Edit: (to be fair, before anyone comes to tell me how wrong I am, this was before the story was posted... It's a '10' but I still don't care about Miami.)

 

[nowhereman]

Miami would've been big 20 years ago. If that's the '10' its going to get a giant "who cares" from pretty much every college football fan outside of Florida or the ACC and SI will learn to not hype stuff so far in advance because they'll never come close to a month of speculation.

I agree, especially since some of it has already been leaking out regarding that Ponzi-scheme booster. The difference is these are supposedly program-crippling allegations - although Miami's past transgressions should have had more severe penalties. We'll see if the NCAA finally stomps on them like they should have years ago.

Edit: HA! just as I was posting my message, Yahoo put their story up. Money, hookers, jewelry, and...abortions?:

http://sports.yahoo.com/investigations/news?slug=cr-renegade_miami_booster_details_illicit_benefits_081611

A former University of Miami booster, incarcerated for his role in a $930 million Ponzi scheme, has told Yahoo! Sports he provided thousands of impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes from 2002 through 2010.
In 100 hours of jailhouse interviews during Yahoo! Sports’ 11-month investigation, former Hurricanes booster Nevin Shapiro described a sustained, eight-year run of rampant NCAA rule-breaking, some of it with the knowledge or direct participation of at least seven coaches from the Miami football and basketball programs. At a cost that Shapiro estimates in the millions of dollars, he said his benefits to athletes included but were not limited to: cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and on one occasion, an abortion.

This might need its own thread.

 

[knapplc]

No way, guys. "Millions of dollars" would not be a small story. This would be a "10" if it was Iowa State. That kind of money is outrageous, and definitely deserves big-time coverage.

 

[redblooded]

No way, guys. "Millions of dollars" would not be a small story. This would be a "10" if it was Iowa State. That kind of money is outrageous, and definitely deserves big-time coverage.

See my edit, was posted before the article had come out, and the response to me was posted just as the article came out (he edited in the link). Nobody had read it at that point.

 

[knapplc]

Ah, gotcha. A lot is coming out, and very quickly. Understandable.

 

[GBRsal]

 

[Danimal]

I really hope the NCAA can close the deal on Cam. Wouldn't mind so much if they didn't win the championship, damn you bama and Oregon for not finishing, hate that they won it all with a qb they paid-for.

As far as Miami goes I feel sorry for Al Golden. Takes a big new job and the walls come crumbling down around him.