Cam Newton Pay-For-Play Takes A Twist

The Cam Newton pay-for-play story has taken a major turn this evening as ESPN is reporting that Cam and his father Cecil Newton said that it would take more then a scholarship to secure Cam Newton's talents:

Prior to Newton's commitment to Auburn, one of the recruiters said Cecil Newton told him it would take "more than a scholarship" to bring his son to Mississippi State, a request the source said the school would not meet. Cecil Newton also referred the recruiter to a third person that would provide more specifics, the source said.

After Newton committed to Auburn, another source said an emotional Cam Newton phoned another recruiter to express regret about his change of commitment from Mississippi State, stating that his father Cecil had chosen Auburn for him because "the money was too much."

Mississippi State then relayed the information to the SEC, in January. So, why this is coming to light now seems a bit peculiar. So, what does this mean about Cam Newton's eligibility at Auburn? I do not really know, but if this information was known in January and is now coming to light it must mean something is up. 

It has been reported that Cecil Newton handed over bank statements and the Auburn Athletic Director has said this is not a closed matter:

"Any of our student-athletes, if we had any questions about them, about their eligibility," Jacobs said, "we wouldn't want them to play." [...]

"It's not a closed matter," he said. "It's still ongoing. ... But we look for Cam to continue to play for us."

So, this quote brings up a few questions. First of all, since there are questions about his eligibility regarding possibly the most serious eligibility violation by accepting money to go to a school, why is he still on the field. Then with this being the SEC they win at any cost, so it would not surprise me that Auburn will try to drag this investigation out until the season is over so that Auburn has a shot at the BCS title.

If it is found out that Newton went to Auburn for pay after the season it will be a shame because a TCU or Boise State team would be denied the opportunity to play for the BCS title game. The only thing left (for now) is to see how fast or slow the NCAA moves in getting to the bottom of this situation.

Then there is this where Cecil Newton comes off looking like he has something to hide with this comment:

"I'm not going to confirm nor deny nothing that has been taking place," Cecil Newton said.

"I've answered what I need to answer," Cecil Newton said. "If they're out there, go with it and make the decision or determination based on whatever you've got to say."

He described all of the recent allegations involving his son as "a witch hunt."

So, is Cecil laweyered up now? Most likely. Who knows how this will play out, but the real loser could be the two teams behind Auburn in the standings in Boise State and TCU. Going back and vacating wins years later will not be a just punishment to one of the two teams who might have been denied a shot at the BCS title. 

Maybe all of this will become too much for Cam Newton and they will lose a game and give way to TCU to play Oregon in the BCS title game.

Follow Mountain West Connection via Twitter and Facebook for News Quick Hits and Random Nonsense.