Following up on what’s fast becoming the story of the college football season, Cam Newton has addressed the accusations that someone acting on the Newton family’s behalf solicited payment in return for the quarterback’s football talents on their campus.
And, as expected, the Auburn player denied anything untoward occurred on his end.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Newton said according to Auburn Undercover. “I’m blessed to be at Auburn right now. I’m sure the smoke will settle. I’m looking forward to the game tomorrow.”
Right now, there’s not only a tremendous amount of smoke that needs to settle as Newton noted, but perhaps a fire or two that needs to be extinguished as well. And, much like Newton, one of the pivotal figures in the burgeoning scandal -- Kenny Rogers -- grabbed a fire hose Friday night and attempted to douse the flames.
Former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond told ESPN.com that a person who claimed to represent Newton and was a former MSU teammate of his was seeking between $180,000 and $200,000 from schools while Newton was being recruited last year. Bond claimed that the person, who ESPN.com identified as former Bulldogs player Kenny Rogers, contacted him shortly after Newton’s official visit to Mississippi State in December and said it would take cash to get the quarterback.
Appearing on ESPN-1300 in Dallas, Rogers categorically and emphatically denied all of the accusations that have been made against him, accusations that triggered what is now a months-long NCAA investigation.
“Heck no. I’ve never done that,” Rogers said when asked if he had been paid to steer Newton to a school. “A school has never paid me for a kid, an alumni has never paid me for a kid. Period. Point blank.”
Rogers said he has never spoken to anyone associated with Auburn about Newton -- “No. No. No. None at all. None at all. None at all.” -- and that he has spoken to MSU head coach Dan Mullen on just one occasion, when he was introduced to the coach by Newton’s father. Rogers also claimed that he hasn’t spoken to Bond in over 20 years, while Bond said the two spoke late last year.
So, again, we’re back to a he-said he-said situation, with no-grey-area accusations being met by explicit denials from the accused. In other words, either Bond is lying or Rogers is lying.
Short of a damning paper trail -- the NCAA has asked for financial records from Newton’s father and his churches -- this investigation seems as though it will come down to one man’s word against that of another. And I have no clue where my money would go, so to speak, on who’s telling the truth. Guess that’s why the NCAA gets paid the big bucks...