Impact of Newton's Reinstatement (article)

[jesmu84]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=5872192&sportCat=ncf

"Amazing. The NCAA just made it possible for anyone with a blue-chip prospect to shop that player without fear of real punishment. Football player ... hoops player -- doesn't matter. All you have to do is say the kid didn't have a clue about the sales price and it's like nothing happened. Plausible deniability."

scary stuff if you think about it. and a hell of a slippery slope for the NCAA to start

[avid1010]

I know I couldn't punish a player for having a dip sh1t dad. Cue the Maymon jokes...

Just heard on ESPN he was deemed ineligible on Tuesday by Auburn...messed up!

[MerrittsMustache]

Interesting take from Wilbon on PTI today. He believes that if Auburn wasn't a game away from the BCS title game and/or didn't have BCS party-crasher TCU waiting to take their place if they falter, Newton would have been suspended. In any event, really bad precedent for the NCAA to set.

Moving on, someone get Tokoto's dad on the phone with Dick Strong!

[NCAARules]

I think one of the key points in the reinstatement is that as far as the evidence has proven thus far, that no payoff ever occurred.

Absent that benefit, I think its a tough decision to punish a kid for a sleazy move by his dad.

I also saw that the decision was made by the Student Athlete Reinstatement staff. That is to say, not a committee comprised of the membership that addresses reinstatement requests. I believe staff only issues decisions based off available precedent and guidelines from the committee.

So maybe stupid-a$$ dads have already been covered in other NCAA cases?

[Brewtown Andy]

I think one of the key points in the reinstatement is that as far as the evidence has proven thus far, that no payoff ever occurred.

And that Auburn appears to have not been involved at all.

[chren21]

And that Auburn appears to have not been involved at all.

Exactly. If a school is caught there would be a huge penalty to pay.

[d6]

So Cecil Newton wanted 180K for his son to go to Miss. State, but then had no problem with his son going to Auburn for no cash?  And he never asked anybody from Auburn for anything improper?  He was only comfortable suggesting a payment plan with someone from MSU? I'm not buying it.  The Heisman and the possible National Championship will be revoked within 3 years.  And, I agree with a previous poster, this is a slippery slope in terms of the player "not knowing" and somebody else seeking some form of payment.

[Brewtown Andy]

So Cecil Newton wanted 180K for his son to go to Miss. State, but then had no problem with his son going to Auburn for no cash?  And he never asked anybody from Auburn for anything improper?  He was only comfortable suggesting a payment plan with someone from MSU? I'm not buying it.  The Heisman and the possible National Championship will be revoked within 3 years.  And, I agree with a previous poster, this is a slippery slope in terms of the player "not knowing" and somebody else seeking some form of payment.

Is it at least 1% possible that Cam wanted to go to Auburn, Cecil knew that MSU wanted him and tried to get a little something something but couldn't change Cam's mind?

[d6]

Is it at least 1% possible that Cam wanted to go to Auburn, Cecil knew that MSU wanted him and tried to get a little something something but couldn't change Cam's mind?

Okay.  I'll give that a 1% chance.  But I still believe that there is a 99% chance the Heisman will be revoked.......

[john_cocktoasten]

I love how the NCAA turned their head at this situation and allowed his father to take the fall... Are you kidding me that Cam didn't know this was going on?

[PE8983]

I don't get it.  The rule states that if someone solicits payment (it doesn't have to be the kid), regardless of whether or not he's paid, that the player is permanently ineligible.  The NCAA came out and said that the dad solicited for $180K for his kid to go to MSU (while the kid supposedly doesn't know, yet is irrelevant anyway).  So, how in the world is he not done with college football?

If TCU wasn't sitting there at #3 on the cusp of the national championship game, something tells me this might have unfolded differently.

[GGGG]

They aren't going to punish the kid for something his dad did with another institution.  Yes, it is a violation to have a family member solicit cash from another schools, but the penalty may fall short of permanent inelligibility.  The NCAA was in a tough spot here...they have no evidence that they received cash, or solicited cash from Auburn.  And to a degree I think Wilbon is right.  If this happened last summer, Newton is likely not playing this year.  But it happens in the middle of the football season,  They aren't going to remove the star player, and therefore punish the team, without any evidence indicting Auburn.

[Rubie Q]

I don't get it.  The rule states that if someone solicits payment (it doesn't have to be the kid), regardless of whether or not he's paid, that the player is permanently ineligible.  The NCAA came out and said that the dad solicited for $180K for his kid to go to MSU (while the kid supposedly doesn't know, yet is irrelevant anyway).  So, how in the world is he not done with college football?

I think the relevant language in the NCAA by-law says that a third party can't solicit payment on the player's behalf.  Apparently, the NCAA is hanging its hat on the fact that there's insufficient evidence that Cam knew what Papa Newton was up to, so the solicitation wasn't made on Cam's behalf.

[Mayor McCheese]

The great question I heard on this topic was this

"If TCU had 1 loss, would Cam Newton be deemed eligible?"

Very interesting thought... you would hope it was the same, but you never know.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I don't buy the TCU part in all this.  Remember, the NCAA does not govern the BCS.

[jaybilaswho?]

Interesting take from Wilbon on PTI today. He believes that if Auburn wasn't a game away from the BCS title game and/or didn't have BCS party-crasher TCU waiting to take their place if they falter, Newton would have been suspended. In any event, really bad precedent for the NCAA to set.

Hopefully, SC can beat Auburn and we can see further fallout of the situation.

[GGGG]

I don't buy the TCU part in all this.  Remember, the NCAA does not govern the BCS.

Agreed.  The NCAA doesn't care who participates in the BCSCG.

[Brewtown Andy]

Agreed.  The NCAA doesn't care who participates in the BCSCG.

On a related note, what's stopping the NCAA from overshooting the BCS and getting their own TV contract for a college football tournament?

[Litehouse]

On a related note, what's stopping the NCAA from overshooting the BCS and getting their own TV contract for a college football tournament?

The BCS schools could split from the NCAA and form their own entity.

[GGGG]

The BCS schools could split from the NCAA and form their own entity.

Yep.  Right now there is a balance.  Police our schools and do the work to set up the championships, and we'll give you all the money from those championship events.

Just don't touch our football money or we're outta here.

Can't really blame the BCS schools.  Right now, they leave a lot of money on the table with March Madness.  The NCAA basically uses MM money to fund all the other championships D1 through D3.  If they are the school generating the most interest, shouldn't they be the ones benefitting from it?

[Brewtown Andy]

Yep.  Right now there is a balance.  Police our schools and do the work to set up the championships, and we'll give you all the money from those championship events.

Just don't touch our football money or we're outta here.

Can't really blame the BCS schools.  Right now, they leave a lot of money on the table with March Madness.  The NCAA basically uses MM money to fund all the other championships D1 through D3.  If they are the school generating the most interest, shouldn't they be the ones benefitting from it?

Why can't the NCAA start running a football tournament and then everyone can have more money from the basketball tournament?

[GGGG]

The BCS schools get most of the football money in alliance with the bowls.  It makes a TON more than the basketball tourney does.  The BCS schools have no financial incentive to change anything.

[Brewtown Andy]

The BCS schools get most of the football money in alliance with the bowls.  It makes a TON more than the basketball tourney does.  The BCS schools have no financial incentive to change anything.

Man, whoever it was at the NCAA back in the day who said, "Eh, let D1 football decide a national champion by the AP poll. What's the worst that could happen?" was a moron.

[Dr. Blackheart]

So Kentucky and Kanter claiming Newton Exemption now on appeal.  There is a brown ring around the NCAA toilet bowl right now.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5880507

[Knight Commission]

Perhaps a conspiracy theory but...

Mike Slive, a former Ivy league educated, former defense attorney, commissioner of CUSA (and defender of all things wrong with UC, Memphis, and Looeyville) and now SEC commissioner, who used to chair the infractions committee of the NCAA, (and who had a role on who sits on the committee)......

Per wikipedia......In 1990, he became senior partner and founder of the Mike Slive-Mike Glazier Sports Group, a legal practice specializing in representing colleges and universities in athletics-related matters

Mike Slive is the most destructive force in college athletics.>>>>

Dodds........