It’s Time For Bond And Moore To Put Up Or Shut Up On The Newton Saga

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As Huntsville radio host Scott Moore continues his media tour, dropping allegations and “here’s what I heards” in an effort to drum up cash for his pal John Bond, it might be time for someone to share an old saying with these two:

Put up or shut up.

But before everyone starts accusing this site of being pro- or anti-some school (it’s inevitable), let’s make a couple of things clear before we go any further.

1.  This site has no ties to Auburn.  Personally, I think Cecil Newton is dirty.  I think it’s highly unlikely that his son didn’t know anything about his father’s business dealings.  And I think there’s a helluva lot of smoke around AU’s program for there not to be some sort of fire somewhere.

2.  There is also zero evidence — hard, tangible, could-stand-up-in-a-court-of-law evidence — that Auburn representatives did anything wrong in their pursuit of Cam Newton.  Nothing.  Bupkes.  If the NCAA’s got proof, they’re not acting on it.  If Bond or Kenny Rogers or Bill Bell’s got proof, they’re too busy asking for cash to share it.

3.  College football is a cesspool.  The vast majority of people go about their jobs and careers the right way, I’ll grant you.  But there are enough hangers-on and ne’er-do-wells to ruin the sport for everyone else.  When people ask me why I don’t pull for a college team, I usually give the same response: “If you went through an Oscar Meyer plant, you wouldn’t want to eat a hot dog for a while.”  So I don’t find it at all outrageous that a number of schools might have really offered up cash for Newton.


All that said, Bond is getting dangerously close to Cecil Newton in terms of overall scumminess. 

If the man wants to take a stand for right versus wrong, he should release his tapes to the NCAA and/or to the world.  But by leaking hearsay from his tapes through a second party in order to start a bidding war for them, well, he’s just showing that dollars are his motivation, not right versus wrong.

Cecil Newton tried to make some money for himself.  Bond is trying to make some money for himself.  Cecil Newton tried to sell his son’s football services.  Bond made secret tape recordings of private conversations.  All those acts tend to run together in my view.  In terms of a ballpark, Newton’s sitting squarely at the 50, while Bond’s got tickets down in the end zone.  But they’re both season-ticket holders at I Don’t Trust Ya Field.

And not just because they’re money-grubbers who’ll bend some rules to get the cash they desire, either.

Isn’t it interesting that Moore is making the rounds pushing this story right at the same time HBO is trying to pry Bond’s tapes from him?  It’s as if Moore’s trying to drive up the value while a buyer’s on the lot.  What?  You don’t think Bond or his reps have told HBO the info will cost ‘em?

And is it really a surprise that the tapes — according to Moore — show no evidence of wrongdoing by Mississippi State?  Would anyone really expect a former MSU quarterback and Bulldog booster to share any conversations that might sully State’s good name?  In other words, don’t be surprised if there’s an 18-and-a-half minute gap in Bond’s tapes.  After all, Moore says that MSU officials have told Bond not to get involved in this mess.  If State is 100% in the clear, why wouldn’t the school want Bond’s (or Bell’s or Rogers’) tapes released?  I’m just asking.

And isn’t it an interesting coincidence that Moore’s radio co-host in Huntsville is William Barger, a man who played football at Alabama?  Now Moore’s talking about information that implicates Auburn and Tennessee — Bama’s two biggest rivals — in a pay-for-play scandal.  That’s not a coinydink?

Look, would I be shocked to learn that Auburn or Tennessee offered cash for Newton?  Uh, yeah.  About as shocked as Captain Renauld when he “learned” that there was gambling going on at Rick’s Place.  (See #3 above for my reason.)

But the fact that these folks won’t simply hand over their tapes makes me very, very suspicious of their claims.  Turn over the unedited tapes — and unedited is a key if you want me to believe MSU wasn’t involved — and then I’ll start giving a bit more credence to the claims of Bond and Moore.

Until then, Bond is no different than someone selling a story to The National Enquirer.  And while The Enquirer might buy it, I’m not.  Not until he turns over the goods at least.

Put up or shut up, boys.  Put up or shut up.