Mark Emmert Would Kindly Like You to Stop Bashing His Organization

This has nothing to do with South Carolina v. Auburn. This has to do with whether people respect honor, integrity and the rule of law in CFB. Period.

And the answer is – at least for the NCAA, the SEC and Auburn University – that the answer is no. Otherwise, no one would have participated in this kabuki theater show.

There are specific NCAA and SEC rules that cover what we now know Cecil Newton did with representatives of Mississippi State University. They are hard rules. But they are fair rules. The NCAA and the SEC declined to enforce them. Both institutions talk about the need to “fix” them now so that there will be no further “loopholes”. Shame.

Those “loopholes” exist because NCAA president Mark Emmert and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive conspired with Auburn Universtity A.D. Jay Jacobs and Compliance Director Rich McGlynn in order to exploit the rules. Why? Because under NCAA and SEC rules, Cam Newton was ineligible whether (a) he knew what his father was doing; (b) whether he personally received a penny; or ( c) whether he attended Miss. State.

How do I know there was a conspiracy? Because over the course of three days, the NCAA, the SEC and Auburn orchestrated a series of events – previously unheralded in the history of major infraction investigations – all done behind closed doors, totally out of the public spotlight and without any disclosure (not even a hint) that they were ongoing.

Monday – Auburn and NCAA investigators finalize agreement on a joint set of facts. These facts are presented to the SEC
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Tuesday – Auburn disqualifies Cam Newton, then appeals its own decision to the NCAA.

Wednesday – the NCAA appeals committee meets (on one day’s notice) and reinstates Cam Newton. The SEC concurs later in the day, and refuses to enforce its own more rigorous (yet applicable) by-laws. The news is then released to the media.

It was likely timed so that Cam didn’t even miss a practice. In keeping with Newton Family tradition, I wonder if Gene Chizik even told Cam it was going on – I mean we wouldn’t to break his focus would we? Cam’s perfectly content to go through life letting other people make decisions for him, apparently. The whole sordid mess was such a feel good outcome that Cam’s daddy is still going to get to come to the Big Game in Atlanta (and the one in Glendale that is so much more important to all concerned). He just has to “distance” himself from the Auburn program – but not, you know, to the extent it might make Cam feel bad or anything before the Big Game. And since the whitewash is in full effect, even Mississippi State gets a slap on the wrist. Can’t have anyone or any institution really getting punished, can we? Then someone on the inside might actually scream the whole thing was unfair!

Well, the whole thing makes me sick. It should make any reasonable person slick.

First, it insults my intelligence. It says Im just an Auburn “hater” if I refuse to accept that Cecil Newton was soliciting big money from one of the poorest and smallest of the SEC athletic departments/fanbases but had no intention of soliciting money from one of the richest – despite the fact his son had publicly stated a preference for the smaller school throughout recruting. Sure. That’s believable. I mean, after all, its not like Auburn has ever done anything like that before? Right? Oh, wait … never mind. You say there’s no evidence of Auburn wrongdoing? I say you haven’t begun to look. And now you don’t intend to look. Auburn, the SEC and the NCAA are hear no evil, see no evil and certainly will speak no evil. How proud y’all must be. Racketeering for the greater good. I hope everyone got down to go down to Victoryland for drinks and steaks after – all except Cam of course who is preparing for the big game in total, infantile ignorance and bliss, under his Aubie securitiy blanket.

Second, it only reinforces the notion that there are two sets of rules. One for the SEC haves. And another SEC have-nots. All the Auburn whining about “War Eagle v. the World” is shown to be complete bullshit. The closer your school is to Birmingham the more benefits you will derive from the SEC, and the more protection is lavished upon you. South Carolina players didn’t pay their hotel bills on time and were publicly humiliated in the media, and their Athletic Department never had a chance to agree to a joint set of facts with the NCAA, nor have the full cooperation and support of the SEC, for a minor sin that resulted in no outright suspensions. In other words, were put through the ringer for a misdemeanor. On the other hand, a pay-for-play scandal involving Auburn’s star QB gets unprecedented special kid glove treatment… guilt, punishment, reinstatement all in three days, rather than the NCAA’s usual months and years.

Heck, the Lord created the Heavens and the Earth in seven days, but Auburn and the SEC got Cam whitewashed in three! Miracle! Hallelujah!

Every investigation of a violation surrounding a student-athlete has two pieces: eligibility and enforcement. Eligibility surrounds whether the student-athlete personally did something wrong. Enforcement covers everything else.

Once the NCAA feels it has a handle on the eligibility, it goes ahead knocks that piece out. That appears to be what happened here. They thought they had all the facts necessary to make an eligibility judgment, so they made it.

The only weird thing is how quickly it went down. For instance, Jeremiah Masoli enrolled was denied immediate eligibility at Ole Miss on August 31. He then won his appeal four days later on September 3. Dillon Baxter’s golf cart ride got him ineligible on November 19, and he was reinstated five days later after he gave $5 to charity to “offset” the ostensible value of the ride.

In both those cases, the NCAA worked relatively quickly. It took four and five days, respectively, to clear up eligibility questions. However, it’s nothing compared to the 24 hour return time Auburn got with Newton.

I can’t see any way of not believing that a deal was cut behind the scenes given the existence of the fact sheet that the NCAA and Auburn agreed upon. With Baxter, for instance, USC declared him ineligible as soon as it found out something happened. Auburn had been sitting on the information about Cam for weeks before it made him ineligible and applied for reinstatement.

The rulebook grows as the glom new stuff on the old stuff. They patch holes as they find them and I think this is the first anyone has heard of this particular hole.