Josh Moon: Auburn's NCAA clearance brings out emotions

[AUChizad]

Josh Moon: Auburn's NCAA clearance brings out emotions
12:51 AM, Oct. 14, 2011  | 

The aftermath of the NCAA's revelation Wednesday that it had officially closed its in­vestigation into Auburn's re­cruitment of Cam Newton has been rather comical.

It's sort of like comedian Chris Rock's analysis of the O.J. Simpson verdict: Auburn fans are too happy. Alabama fans are too mad.

There has been no shortage of emotion over the last day or so. But really, it should not have come as a surprise to anyone that Newton was cleared by the NCAA.

There has never been one meaningful piece of evidence un­covered that suggested Auburn did anything wrong in its recruit­ment of Newton.

Yes, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Heisman winner was shop­ped by his father to Missis­sippi State. That was ad­mitted. But no one ever suggested Auburn did any­thing, and there was never a credible lead that might make someone think differ­ently.

There were plenty of vague allegations. A bunch of unnamed sources. Quite a few winks and nods.

But nothing substantial. Ever.

There were four former Auburn players -- Chaz Ramsey, Troy Reddick, Raven Gray and Stanley McClover -- who showed up on HBO's "Real Sports" to claim they received extra benefits. But three of the four refused to cooperate with the NCAA investiga­tion and the other, Gray, couldn't provide enough proof to substantiate his claims.

And bam, every dark cloud that has been hanging over Auburn the last year just vanished.

All of that makes it a bit easier to understand some of the glee of Auburn fans. They've been vindicated. Their title will remain. Their big-smiling quarter­back will keep his trophy and his statue on campus won't be an eyesore.

That's cause for at least a mini-celebration.

And to be fair, I get why Alabama fans are upset, too.

It seems that every time that program has dealt with the NCAA over the last sev­eral years, it has walked away with a severe limp. It got hit for the textbook scandal, a couple of players had to sit a few games for minor infractions and, in the most memorable encounter, the school was staring down the barrel of a death penalty gun.

On top of that, in their eyes, the guy who led Au­burn back from 24 down at Bryant-Denny Stadium last year just avoided justice.

Add in a dash of a bag­man and a hint of secret ta­pes, and well, it's a tough pill to swallow.

But all of that said, I can't completely get behind the emotions of either faction of fans, because neither makes complete sense.

First, it would serve Au­burn fans well to remember that there was a legitimate story that started all of this. Cam Newton was shopped by his father. That really happened.

So, when you're firing off emails or Twitter messages to reporters like Mark Schlabach or Pat Forde or Chris Low -- the guys who wrote that original story that started this saga -- you should probably keep in mind that they were right.

Dead on, actually.

On top of that, it's also worth remembering that the majority of opposing fans stopped caring about Cam Newton the day after he won the national title. That's because the overwhelming majority of fans keep this sport in perspective and can still manage to move on with their lives even when their rivals win.

On the other hand, there are a few who can't, which brings me to the delusional sect.

This includes the rabid Alabama fans who are con­tinuing to hold out hope that some NCAA magic eraser might come along and wipe away the memory of that 24-point choke job.

It also includes several members of the media, be­cause I've noticed more than a handful of columns, blog posts and Twitter posts from alleged professionals who simply can't let Newton go, either. They all point out the NCAA's lack of subpoe­na power and talk about its flaws.

And they're all clinging to the one line in the NCAA's letter that states it can re­open the AU investigation should additional informa­tion be uncovered. (Which is the same way the NCAA would treat every other school in the country.)

I'm going to say this to all of you: Stop it.

At this point, after 13 months, more than 80 NCAA interviews, investiga­tors digging through phone, bank and IRS records and absolutely no credible evi­dence of wrongdoing on Au­burn's part, it is far more likely than not that this school, its boosters and Cam Newton did nothing wrong.

It's time for everybody to move on.

Still disagree about the whole Cecil is unequivocally guilty thing. I may be on an island, but I still don't think he's a bad guy. I believe that his only crime is listening while the MSU "recruiters" tried to buy his son, but ultimately, deciding against it and choosing Auburn.

[GH2001]

Still disagree about the whole Cecil is unequivocally guilty thing. I may be on an island, but I still don't think he's a bad guy. I believe that his only crime is listening while the MSU "recruiters" tried to buy his son, but ultimately, deciding against it and choosing Auburn.

Cecil was approached by a scumbag looking to cash in on his son. The only crime he committed was listening for a few mins before coming to his senses. Its that simple.

[JR4AU]

Still disagree about the whole Cecil is unequivocally guilty thing. I may be on an island, but I still don't think he's a bad guy. I believe that his only crime is listening while the MSU "recruiters" tried to buy his son, but ultimately, deciding against it and choosing Auburn.

Here's the thing, you and I can properly use the phrase "I believe" rather than substituting the words "I just know".   I believe because in one interview Bill Bell actually stated "I never heard Cecil actually ask for money...it was always Kenny, but Cecil didn't stop him"  And all the voice mails that anybody actually heard?  From Rogers too.  I BELIEVE Cecil went along passively (and believe had the money come through he would have taken it), but when it blew up in their faces, they bolted from Starkville and landed in Auburn.    But, I DON'T KNOW THAT, and neither does anybody else that's talking.

[AUChizad]

Here's the thing, you and I can properly use the phrase "I believe" rather than substituting the words "I just know".   I believe because in one interview Bill Bell actually stated "I never heard Cecil actually ask for money...it was always Kenny, but Cecil didn't stop him"  And all the voice mails that anybody actually heard?  From Rogers too.  I BELIEVE Cecil went along passively (and believe had the money come through he would have taken it), but when it blew up in their faces, they bolted from Starkville and landed in Auburn.    But, I DON'T KNOW THAT, and neither does anybody else that's talking.

Completely agree. To these ESPN talking heads and butthurt rival fans? This is beyond the realm of possibility. To me? It appears to be far and away the most logical, rational assumption that can be made, especially after the NCAA probed and cleared Auburn of any wrongdoing. I would think if the NCAA thought Cecil was the one actively "shopping around" his son, they would still be in Auburn today looking for any dirt they can find.

[JR4AU]

Completely agree. To these ESPN talking heads and butthurt rival fans? This is beyond the realm of possibility? To me? It appears to be far and away the most logical, rational assumption that can be made, especially after the NCAA probed and cleared Auburn of any wrongdoing. I would think if the NCAA thought Cecil was the one actively "shopping around" his son, they would still be in Auburn today looking for any dirt they can find.

I also believe that, and believe if he had asked for money anywhere else, that would have eventually come out too, and that would have made it nearly impossible to sell the idea that Cam had no knowledge, though we all know that didn't really matter.  It all adds up, IMHO, to Rogers being the most culpable, and Cecil being stupid enough to entertain the idea. 

[The Prowler]

I also believe that, and believe if he had asked for money anywhere else, that would have eventually come out too, and that would have made it nearly impossible to sell the idea that Cam had no knowledge, though we all know that didn't really matter.  It all adds up, IMHO, to Rogers being the most culpable, and Cecil being stupid enough to entertain the idea.

Yup...throw on top of that, this was all happening when the NCAA handed down it's verdict on USC & Reggie Bush.