I have been trying to piece together a time-line, and media coverage of the Cam Newton saga to see how we got from point A to "Cecil was shopping Cam to the highest bidder, and Auburn won the bidding war" perception.
Here's a great piece to illustrate how the masses read and perceive things:
The Headline:
Report: Texts link Cecil Newton to payment scheme
The Body:
A Mississippi State booster has presented the NCAA with information regarding an alleged payment schedule for delivering Cam Newton to the school, a plan which appears to have been devised by the Auburn quarterback's father, according to ESPN.
The booster, Bill Bell, told the network that he received a series of text messages from Kenny Rogers, a former teammate of his at MSU. One of them outlined the payment plan. Bell says Rogers told him the payment request was from Newton's father, Cecil Newton.
According to ESPN, Bell told the NCAA that Rogers spelled out the terms -- $80,000 the day after Newton signed with Mississippi State, $50,000 30 days later and another $50,000 30 days after that.
Cecil Newton also was involved in three-way calls in which Rogers discussed the payment idea, according to ESPN.
Cecil Newton "didn't come out and say, 'I want $180,000,' " Bell told ESPN. "He inferred it and talked about it, but not directly. Kenny would talk about it in front of him, and [Cecil Newton] never corrected him or said, 'No, that's not what we're doing.' " Further bolstering my claim and belief that Rogers, not Cecil was driving this bus.
Bell allegedly has the text messages on a cell phone that no longer functions because of water damage. ESPN reported Bell is trying to have his phone service retrieve the messages.
Bell told ESPN he presented the information to show Mississippi State didn't break NCAA rules.
The NCAA considers solicitation of benefits by a student-athlete's family a violation, with penalties decided by factors including the student-athlete's level of responsibility. No, there is no rule against it. There may be one coming though.
At no point in the ESPN report does Bell implicate Cam Newton in the payment scheme. Newton continues to play and Auburn insists he is eligible.
Bell has said Cecil Newton never discussed Auburn's pursuit of his son and added that he knew of no improprieties involving Auburn.
Rogers said in a radio interview last week that Cecil Newton approached him in person in November 2009, when Cam Newton was in junior college, and said it would take "anywhere between $100,000 and $180,000" for his son to play at Mississippi State. Rogers said an awful lot in all this that somehow infected Cecil and not him.
Bell's comments followed similar ones by John Bond, a former Mississippi State quarterback who said he was approached by Rogers. Bond spoke to the FBI on Tuesday. In fact, no party involved has ever said it was Cecil that asked for money...other than Rogers, of course, who is the one the parties all say did the actual asking the money people for money.
The NCAA on Tuesday probed allegations involving Rogers and Jody Wright, a former Mississippi State administrative aide. The Clarion-Ledger newspaper of Jackson, Miss., reports NCAA investigators interviewed Wright on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. At the time MSU was recruiting Newton, Wright was an assistant to coach Dan Mullen, overseeing administration for the Bulldogs.
Wright is now a graduate assistant at Alabama, which would not confirm Wright's interview with the NCAA.
Bond "cooperated fully with both agencies," his representative told The Associated Press.
NCAA investigators interviewed Cam Newton last week. According to a report by an Atlanta TV station, Cecil Newton admitted having conversations about receiving money in exchange for Cam's commitment to Mississippi State -- but said no money ever changed hands and that neither Cam nor Auburn knew about the conversations. This was a separate story, that was attributed to one single "source close to the situation." It seemed to infer is was someone the Newtons know. You know, with friends like that... In fact, at no time has Cecil every made such a public admission himself. But for the sake of saying he did...if he was present and Roger's mentioned money, and he involved himself in the conversation at all, he has, in fact, been involved in the conversation, which, according to what Bell reports hearing, and more importantly not hearing, was a very passive involvement, and doesn't come close to a solicitation by Newton.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/feed/2010-11/cam-newton-probe/story/ncaa-interviews-two-while-fbi-proceeds-with-newton-inquiry
The headline indicates one thing, and the body says another. In fact, no texts are reported to directly link Newton to anything.
Yet, some how, we have the public perception, and really full heartfelt belief that Cecil was actively shopping Cam and Auburn paid.
The following is a list of reports and stories that have any source at all that indicates Auburn paid for Cam Newton's services, and that Cecil asked any other program or booster of another program for money to secure Cam's commitment:
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