The Cam Newton saga is really getting serious.
The FBI and NCAA were already investigating allegations that the Auburn quarterback’s father, Cecil Newton Sr., wanted money from recruiters. Now, according to a report in Thursday’s New York Times, the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office wants to talk to Kenny Rogers, the so-called “recruiter” for an NFL agent involved in the case.
Rogers, a former Mississippi State football player, has financial ties to agent Ian Greengross. Rogers has said that Cecil Newton wanted $100,000 to $180,000 for his son to play at MSU. That’s a violation of NCAA rules.
It also might be a violation of Mississippi’s agent laws. Rogers will be interviewed in Chicago during the week of Dec. 7, his lawyer said. Pamela Weaver, a spokesman for Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, told the Times that the office did not “comment on current, potential or pending investigations.”
Cam Newton signed with Auburn. He has led the Tigers to an 11-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking. Newton is considered the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy. Auburn is headed for the Southeastern Conference title game, regardless of the outcome of today’s game with the Alabama. A victory against South Carolina in the league title game could put the Tigers in the BCS national championship game.
All of that could be jeopardized if Newton is ruled ineligible.
Rogers said he never had any contact with Auburn and doesn’t know whether Auburn paid Newton for his services.
Rogers seems to have had plenty of contact with MSU. At this time last year, the Bulldogs were considered the front-runner in the recruiting of Newton because MSU coach Dan Mullen had coached Newton during the player’s brief stay at the University of Florida.
Rogers said MSU didn’t agree to pay Newton. When Rogers mentioned a specific payment during a meeting with two MSU assistant coaches last November, one of them said, “No. No. I don’t want to hear that.”
Rogers also contacted a former MSU teammate, John Bond, and Bill Bell, a State booster and former player. Bond reported Rogers’ request to the NCAA.
Rogers said he came forward because Newton Sr. told the news media that if Rogers was asking for money, he was working alone. Rogers said Newton’s attitude toward his son’s recruitment was “it’s not going to be free this time.” I guess that lets Florida off the hook.
The SEC has handled the Newton matter in typical fashion. MSU officials reported Newton’s alleged request for money last January. The SEC did nothing in the interim. Now Commissioner Mike Slive says the conference was waiting for MSU to supply it with more information. Does this mean the SEC offices have a phone system that accepts incoming calls but won’t allow outgoing ones?
Recruiting rumors are nothing new. Over the years I’ve heard plenty of tales about who got this or that.
Remember Marcus Dupree, the superstar running back out of Philadelphia who signed with the University of Oklahoma in 1983? For a time, Dupree seemed to be surrounded by seemingly hundreds of recruiters and even more rumors about what they were offering him.
One of the college coaches recruiting Dupree was Ole Miss assistant Tom Goode. In a recent interview for an ESPN documentary, Goode said then-Ole Miss Athletic Director Warner Alford asked him what it would take to sign Dupree. Goode said he answered, “$150,000.”
Do players get paid to play college sports? Of course they do, and it’s been going from the inception of U.S. college athletics.
I don’t blame the players who take the money. Big-time college sports generate millions for the schools involved. The players get room, board and a free education. That’s worth plenty, but it pales in comparison with the checks the schools are cashing from companies like CBS and ESPN. I can see where a player might feel entitled to extra benefits.
Thursday’s Times also had an article on the travails of the Texas football team. A year after reaching the BCS title game, the Longhorns finished 5-7. It was Texas’ first losing season since 1997.
Red McCombs, a prominent Texas supporter and former owner of the Minnesota Vikings, said that coach Mack Brown and his staff have to recruit better.
“They’ve got to go look at their biggest needs, go into the marketplace and fill them,” McCombs said.
Marketplace is the right word for college recruiting.
• Contact Charles Corder at ccorder@gwcommonwealth.com.
