If you seen one Auburn game this year, you would probably guess that Cam Newton was in the Heisman hunt. If you saw two Auburn games this year you knew he was the frontrunner for the coveted trophy.
Cam Newton’s play this year has been near flawless, second in NCAA in rushing yards, 15 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions eight games into the season. Oh, and lets not forget he caught a touchdown last Saturday against University of Mississippi.
While it seems that opponents can’t derail Newton on the field, one program may have found the ultimate formula to derail Newton off the field. A former Mississippi State player alleges that Cam Newton’s Letter of Intent came with a price. According to Yahoosports.com a middleman approached Mississippi State with the discounted price of $180,000. They didn’t fall for the banana in the tailpipe, instead they went straight to the NCAA.
Now, the story goes that Mississippi State got a discount price because Newton liked Mullen. They were together at Florida before Newton got kicked off the team for….wait for it…..possession of a stolen laptop(why are quarterbacks stealing laptops these days?). So with State passing on the unbeatable offer, we should believe that Newton landed at Auburn…..for free??
It has been confirmed that the NCAA is investigating these allegations. Auburn Gene Chizik stated that, “Cam Newton is eligible with Auburn. End of story. Period.” Currently he is correct. These are only allegations at this point. With Newton on the Heisman path, let’s hope the investigation doesn’t take five years like the Reggie Bush one did. Mississippi State has given the NCAA a head start with a road map. It will be interesting to see how handles the timing of their findings.
Will we have a Reggie Bush repeat, they take so long in their investigation that Newton could win the Heisman and THEN the ruling comes down? The precedence has already been set, Bush set the standard for Heisman winners gone wrong. By waiting to long to release their rulings, the NCAA got a win-win. Bush got the Heisman and the NCAA rode that wave, and then when they took it away, they looked like they were really cracking down and taking the matter seriously. Surely the NCAA can’t continue to wear that thin veil of concern and stern enforcement if they drag their feet investigating star players.