NCAA Clears Path for Newton, Auburn

The Wait is Over and Cam Comes Out Unscathed

The NCAA has ruled that embattled Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton is eligible to play in the SEC Championship game on Saturday and presumably in the team’s follow-up bowl game as well.  An NCAA investigation was launched in early November to determine if activities surrounding Newton’s recruitment to Mississippi State University directly involved the highly sought after junior.  There indeed was underhanded dealings going on, investigators discovered, but apparently neither Cam nor Auburn was involved nor did player or AU program know about the pay-for-play scheme which Cam’s father, Cecil Newton, a minister from Newnan, Georgia, had used to lure MSU to the bargaining table.  Reports have said that Cecil Newton was attempting to gain under-the-table funding for repairs to his church in Newnan which the city had threatened to shut down unless the building was brought up to code.  The FBI was also rumored to have initiated an investigation into possible extortion charges against the older Newton.  Verification of that investigation and, if true, its results have not been forthcoming at press time.  The NCAA’s findings, however, have in essence cleared the way for Cam to gather up any number of personal post season awards including college football’s most prestigious hardware, the Heisman Trophy.  And, Auburn fans can breathe a sigh of relief.  Assuming Newton continues to be eligible and the Tigers can get by an ornery South Carolina Gamecock team led by Steve Spurrier, the War Eagles will be a lock for the BCS National Championship Game to be held on January 10th at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.