ESPN, NYT: NCAA Investigating Cam Newton -- UPDATED

This could end up being rather important.

Well, "investigating" can mean a lot of things, Pete. Can we have some specifics, something that would give us an idea of how significant this could --

Oy.

It's not clear from Thamel's tweet if this is related to the second recruitment of Newton, after his detour through the community college ranks, or his initial recruitment out of high school. Mississippi State apparently offered Newton then, and also tried to recruit Newton to Starkville as a JUCO.

Update: ESPN is reporting that the investigation is focused on Newton's recruitment out of junior college. Mississippi State alum Kenny Rogers reportedly told a former teammate that he was "representing" Newton.

When interviewed by ESPN.com Thursday at the family's home in Atlanta, Cecil Newton, Cam's father, denied any wrongdoing.

"If Rogers tried to solicit money from Mississippi State, he did it on his own, without our knowledge," Cecil Newton said.

This could obviously not come at a worse time for Auburn, as the Tigers are on the road to a potential national championship and face two major rivals in the next few weeks. Winning out is difficult enough without adding on major distractions. And "everything you do this year could be wiped out by the NCAA" is what some would consider a major distraction, whether the Association ends up vacating the season or not.

The question could also go beyond Auburn. Remember that the first team that recruited Newton was Florida. Obviously, there's nothing right now that says that Florida did anything wrong in the initial recruitment of Newton -- but there's no telling what the NCAA might find once it starts looking around.

Welcome to the new normal for a seemingly reinvigorated enforcement staff in Indianapolis.