During a radio interview with Paul Finebaum at SEC Media Day on Wednesday, Danny Sheridan of the USA Today said that his sources at the NCAA believe they have found a third-party "bag man" who helped Auburn University obtain the services of quarterback and 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton.
"The investigation, of course, is ongoing," Sheridan told Finebaum. "And what they're looking at now, and I don't know if the NCAA can hang their hat on this, I don't know if it'll be successful, but obviously they feel there was money that exchanged hands. Proving it is another matter.
"There's x-number of dollars to Cam Newton's father's church, and x-number of dollars to his father. And that's the current investigation. That's what they're--I wouldn't say trying to prove--but that's what they're investigating. So those are the two issues: x-number of dollars to his dad, and again, x-number of dollars to his dad's church. Handled by a third party."
Sheridan added that approximately $180,000-$200,000 allegedly exchanged hands, with $20,000-$30,000 going to Newton's father's church.
During last month's SEC meetings, Auburn head coach Gene Chizik complained to the NCAA about their slowness in declaring that their investigation into Newton was over. Julie Roe Lach of the NCAA reportedly told Chizik that "You'll know when we're finished. And we're not finished".