By: DaveinExile

DaveinExile — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:57:20 +0000

Nothing? Auburn did nothing to deserve the Cam Newton scrutiny?

The evidence available would not suffice in a court of law (hear-say, for the most part), but it’s completely sufficient in a court of public opinion. Auburn fans would have us believe that, based on Miss State’s refusal to pay $$$ to Cecil, Cam chose Auburn straight up without any knowledge of his father’s attempts. There’s a crucial difference between, “I can’t prove it beyond a reasonable doubt,” and “But reasonable minds can infer what probably happened.”

The NCAA and SEC made the correct decisions with Cam, based on the available information.I have no issue with those decisions. I also have no issue with people snickering at the Newton’s official story, which, to put it mildly, strains credulity. Politicians avoid legal jeopardy all the time with “plausible deniability,” but we all know what happened in those cases, and the politicians have to live with public opinion fall out. So do Cam and Auburn.

So – not Auburn’s fault that 4 football players got busted for armed robbery. Not their fault that the father of their biggest football star in a generation went running to Miss State for $120,000. Not their fault their starting PG is being investigated by the FBI. Not their fault their biggest booster has been implicated in massive bank fraud and essentially banned by Auburn’s accrediting organization. Not their fault a former head coach is on record detailing the sort of slush fund that got SMU shut down. Maybe it’s all bad luck, and maybe none of it’s fair, given the other scandals rocking college sports right now.

But when you put it all together, you have to admit that it’s pretty sleazy combination of interrelated factors.

Comments on: Another Black Eye For Auburn – The Latest On The Ward Case

By: DaveinExile