This info has been around all weekend but I didn't know Cecil admitted it to NCAA. Auburn is 17ed.
<div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">
In
the days leading up to the game, as more people claimed on the record
that Newton's father, Cecil, had solicited six-figures for his son's
commitment to Mississippi State; as the Auburn administration went into
"no comment" mode; and as the NCAA stated emphatically that
"Solicitation of cash or benefits by a prospective student-athlete or
another individual on his or her behalf is not allowed under NCAA
rules," many assumed Auburn would sit Newton pending the ongoing
investigation.</p>
But he played. And barring some dramatic turn, he's going to keep playing. <span style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 102);">According to the </span><i style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 102);">Birmingham News[/i]<span style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 102);">,
the NCAA interviewed Newton and his father this week, during which
Cecil admitted to the pay-for-play solicitation but insisted that his
son had no knowledge of it.</span> The NCAA briefed Auburn on the situation.
And despite all that, Newton still played.</p>
Clearly, Auburn is standing by its man.</p>
In the most telling "report" yet, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports,
the guy who broke the Reggie Bush story in 2006 and nailed ex-North
Carolina assistant John Blake earlier this fall -- in other words, an
extremely credible reporter who knows a little something about NCAA
investigations -- tweeted this Saturday: "Interesting note about Auburn,
they have hired ex-NCAA [Committee on Infractions Chairman] Gene Marsh
to work on Cam Newton issue. They intend [to] fight it all the way."</p>
Marsh, it should be noted, is a law professor at archrival Alabama. (Update: The Birmingham News reported
Monday that Auburn retains Marsh's law firm to handle compliance issues
but that sources say Marsh is not directly involved with this case.) </p>
So
that's where we stand. Auburn has been accused of no wrongdoing. Newton
is eligible and will likely remain so right up through Jan. 10, since
NCAA investigations take months, if not years, to be resolved. No one
can say with any certainty how this might play out. In the meantime,
Newton will keep playing, and his BCS and Heisman pursuits will continue
unabated, albeit under a cloud of suspicion.</p><span>
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/11/14/auburn-cam-newton/index.html#ixzz15P1fzi8s</span></div></div>
<div><div style="overflow: hidden; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">
In
the days leading up to the game, as more people claimed on the record
that Newton's father, Cecil, had solicited six-figures for his son's
commitment to Mississippi State; as the Auburn administration went into
"no comment" mode; and as the NCAA stated emphatically that
"Solicitation of cash or benefits by a prospective student-athlete or
another individual on his or her behalf is not allowed under NCAA
rules," many assumed Auburn would sit Newton pending the ongoing
investigation.</p>
But he played. And barring some dramatic turn, he's going to keep playing. <span style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 102);">According to the </span><i style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 102);">Birmingham News[/i]<span style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 102);">,
the NCAA interviewed Newton and his father this week, during which
Cecil admitted to the pay-for-play solicitation but insisted that his
son had no knowledge of it.</span> The NCAA briefed Auburn on the situation.
And despite all that, Newton still played.</p>
Clearly, Auburn is standing by its man.</p>
In the most telling "report" yet, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports,
the guy who broke the Reggie Bush story in 2006 and nailed ex-North
Carolina assistant John Blake earlier this fall -- in other words, an
extremely credible reporter who knows a little something about NCAA
investigations -- tweeted this Saturday: "Interesting note about Auburn,
they have hired ex-NCAA [Committee on Infractions Chairman] Gene Marsh
to work on Cam Newton issue. They intend [to] fight it all the way."</p>
Marsh, it should be noted, is a law professor at archrival Alabama. (Update: The Birmingham News reported
Monday that Auburn retains Marsh's law firm to handle compliance issues
but that sources say Marsh is not directly involved with this case.) </p>
So
that's where we stand. Auburn has been accused of no wrongdoing. Newton
is eligible and will likely remain so right up through Jan. 10, since
NCAA investigations take months, if not years, to be resolved. No one
can say with any certainty how this might play out. In the meantime,
Newton will keep playing, and his BCS and Heisman pursuits will continue
unabated, albeit under a cloud of suspicion.</p><span>
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/11/14/auburn-cam-newton/index.html#ixzz15P1fzi8s</span></div></div>