Cam Newton and the NCAA

The circumstantial evidence against Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is pretty damning.  There are three independent sources who claim that either Newton, his father, or someone acting on their behalf, either asked for payment from Mississippi St., or inferred that they were receiving payments from Auburn in return for Newton's enrollment.  There's also a report that Newton was caught in three separate acts of academic dishonesty while at Florida, and left the school rather than appear before the student conduct committee.

There's also the bizarre way in which Newton chose where to go to school.  Admittedly preferring Mississippi St., Newton ceded the decision to his father, Cecil, who abruptly chose Auburn.  At the time of the decision, the church at which Cecil Newton is pastor was in violation of city building codes.  The church has since been renovated and the NCAA is investigating its finances.  Admittedly, none of this proves anything, but none of it looks good either.

Perhaps Cam Newton is the victim of a libel campaign carried out by the school he left (Florida) and the school he spurned (Mississsippi St.).  The NCAA is a notoriously slow investigator.  Reggie Bush won the Heisman in 2005, and only gave it back a few months ago, five years later.  So, Cam Newton will almost surely end the season (likely his last as a college student) as an eligible athlete.  Barring a quick resolution, this is as it should be.  He's innocent until proven guilty.  He should win the Heisman Trophy which, according to its instructions, goes to the most outstanding college football player who is "a bona fide student ... in compliance with the bylaws defining an NCAA student athlete."  Cam Newton is the best college football player in the country and he is in compliance with the NCAA (for now).  He should win.

But, and remember none of this has been proven, it seems likely that Cam Newton and Auburn cheated. Is it the end of the world if Auburn paid Cam Newton or his father so that they could renovate his church?  No.  Is Cam Newton the only collegiate athlete who (allegedly) got paid?  Of course not.  If Cam Newton wasn't a world class athlete, and just a regular college student, would we disapprove of him fundraising for his father's church?  No, in fact if anyone cared, they'd probably find it laudable.  There's a lot of corruption in college football, and Cam Newton is only (allegedly) a small part of it.

But (it seems) he did break the rules, and he did get caught.  If Auburn paid Cam Newton, they tilted the playing field in their favor.  They gave themselves an unfair advantage over teams that play by the rules.  No different than if players use steroids or coaches videotape other teams' signals.  So, if the NCAA finds that Auburn broke the rules, they will be punished, as they should be.

By that time, Cam Newton and his teammates will be long gone.  It will be some future generation of Auburn football that bears the sanctions for their sins.  Games will be voided.  If Auburn wins the rest of their games, and the national championship, we'll be told it never happened.  Just like we've been told that Reggie Bush wasn't really the best college football player of 2005.  Just like Memphis didn't really lose to Kansas on Mario Chalmers' miracle shot in the 2008 NCAA basketball championship, because of course that whole Memphis season never really happened.  Just like Chris Webber never called a timeout he didn't have in the 1993 national title game, because of course the Fab Five never really happened.

The NCAA's policy seems to be one of retroactive nullification.  They can't really catch cheaters while they're cheating, but don't worry, years from now we'll be told that a bunch of games never happened. Maybe there isn't a better way for the NCAA to handle situations like these.  They certainly can't invalidate players or programs without solid proof.  Investigations take time and the NCAA can't really be blamed because the protagonists in their dramas have left the stage by the time denouement is reached.

But this is cold comfort to those who play by the rules.  By the NCAA's logic, Boise St. and TCU may well go undefeated only to sit by and watch as a team, which ends up being invalidated, plays for their national championship.

Don't worry, we'll be told.  We don't need a playoff.  The BCS works.  College football has the best regular season of any sport.  Every week is a playoff.  Every game counts.  Except, that is, for every game that Boise St. and TCU played and won, because they didn't count enough to get either team a shot at the national championship.  Except, that is, for every game Auburn played, because a few years from now, we may be told that they never even happened.