The Official 2011 NCAA College Football Thread

[BigTyla]

Just putting this here for Adam to rub more salt in the wound.

NCAA says Auburn had no major violations, ends investigation in signing of quarterback Cam Newton | al.com

AUBURN, Alabama -- The NCAA did not find any major rules violations in Auburn's signing of quarterback Cam Newton and has concluded its investigation.

The NCAA enforcement staff also concluded its investigation into charges by four former players on HBO who accused the school of providing extra benefits. Again, it found no wrongdoing.

The NCAA issued a statement Wednesday saying it interviewed more than 50 people to see if Auburn provided Newton or his family improper benefits. The NCAA said it could not find any reason to keep the investigation open because its findings did not meet a "burden of proof" that Auburn did anything wrong in signing the quarterback who led the Tigers to the national title last season.

The NCAA said the investigation has to meet a higher standard "than rampant public speculation online and in the media.

The committee said it would review any additional information "if further investigation is warranted."

An additional 30 people were interviewed in the HBO investigation.

Read NCAA's letter to Auburn

The NCAA, in a letter to the school, said the enforcement staff and Auburn reviewed "a number of allegations regarding the football program's compliance with NCAA legislation" over 13 months.

Four former players said on HBO -- Raven Gray, Stanley McClover, Chaz Ramsey and Troy Reddick -- that Auburn provided benefits. The NCAA said it could not substantiate the claims and wrote, in regard to Gray's charges were, in some instances, "disputed by others."

Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs thanked the NCAA.

"We appreciate the NCAA and thank them for their professionalism and thoroughness during this exhaustive investigation. We are pleased to put this matter behind us," Jacobs said in a statement.

Here's the NCAA statement:

After conducting more than 80 interviews, the NCAA has concluded its investigation into Auburn University. The NCAA enforcement staff is committed to a fair and thorough investigative process. As such, any allegations of major rules violations must meet a burden of proof, which is a higher standard than rampant public speculation online and in the media. The allegations must be based on credible and persuasive information and includes a good-faith belief that the Committee on Infractions could make a finding. As with any case, should the enforcement staff become aware of additional credible information, it will review the information to determine whether further investigation is warranted.

I'm not going to say "I told you so."

Oh wait, yes I am.

I told you so.

[AdamVR4]

Well, I'm convinced.



haha... The NCAA is incompetent and you know it. Let me know when Yahoo says there were no major violations... And wasn't there some federal investigation into his father?

Either way, congratulations!

[BigTyla]

Look Adam, here's the thing. People like you cried to the mountaintops that the evidence was coming. The bomb was going to hit. People slandered Auburn in the name of supposition for a year, swearing up and down that the amount of evidence against them was overwhelming. All this evidence and now it turns out the NCAA found NOTHING. Not a primary violation, not a secondary violation, not even a tertiary violation. NOTHING! Now, people like you are eating crow whether you like it or not. So open your mouth little baby 'cause here comes the airplane!

You can hold your hands over your ears and go "la la la I can't hear you!" all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you were totally off base on this one.

[IPD]

in auburn's defense, they look like choirboys compared to the bloody pats.

[AdamVR4]

Look Adam, here's the thing. People like you cried to the mountaintops that the evidence was coming. The bomb was going to hit. People slandered Auburn in the name of supposition for a year, swearing up and down that the amount of evidence against them was overwhelming. All this evidence and now it turns out the NCAA found NOTHING. Not a primary violation, not a secondary violation, not even a tertiary violation. NOTHING! Now, people like you are eating crow whether you like it or not. So open your mouth little baby 'cause here comes the airplane!

You can hold your hands over your ears and go "la la la I can't hear you!" all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you were totally off base on this one.

I'll admit I was off base when Yahoo says I was off base. Until then, you can go on pretending the NCAA is some masterful investigative body.

[BigTyla]

I'll admit I was off base when Yahoo says I was off base. Until then, you can go on pretending the NCAA is some masterful investigative body.

I'm not saying that the NCAA is some poster child for authority, however, they just about turned the whole place upside down trying to find SOMETHING.

NCAA's investigation into Auburn, Cam Newton included review of bank records, IRS documents, phone records, emails | al.com

AUBURN, Alabama -- The NCAA conducted more than 50 interviews and reviewed bank records, IRS tax documents, telephone records and email messages and found nothing to conclude Auburn participated in a pay-for-play scenario in signing former quarterback Cam Newton.

Auburn issued a statement Wednesday from the NCAA saying it had concluded its investigation and found no major violations in the signing of Newton, and said it could not substantiate claims by four former players on HBO that they had separately received improper benefits.

...

Auburn was under intense scrutiny since early last November when accusations arose that the school was involved providing Newton with improper benefits. The NCAA took some of the constant scrutiny to task, saying charges must "meet a burden of proof, which is a higher standard than rampant public speculation online and in the media."

"The allegations must be based on credible and persuasive information," the NCAA said.


The NCAA concluded the allegations by the four player who made charges on HBO could not be substantiated or were not credible.


The NCAA said "should the enforcement staff become aware of additional credible information, it will review the information to determine whether further investigation is necessary."


Newton was suspended for less than a day on a secondary violation, and reinstated, after the NCAA questioned his amateurism standing.

All those records and they found nothing. Either Auburn did nothing or they are really, REALLY good at covering up cheating at a systematic level. Even you can appreciate how hard it is for more than a few people to keep a secret.

Rumors about Auburn have always been speculated based on the fact that if Cam was shopped to Miss St then he must have been paid to go to Auburn. That's a very illogical argument. Hell, you'd have to pay ME $180,000 to go to that shithole school!

[AdamVR4]

Rumors about Auburn have always been speculated based on the fact that if Cam was shopped to Miss St then he must have been paid to go to Auburn. That's a very illogical argument. Hell, you'd have to pay ME $180,000 to go to that shithole school!

It's "very illogical" to assume that attending Auburn isn't worth $180,000 more than attending MSU? LOL, I guess we'll agree to disagree on that.

As I've said from the beginning, yes, it's totally baffling that a school with a history of cheating, in a conference with a history of cheating, could have a booster knowledgeable (experienced?) enough to meet Cam's father in person to negotiate and give him cash. I can't even imagine it.

At this point though, who really cares. I hate the way the NCAA works. When it finally does have an insurmountable mountain of evidence (5 years after the fact), it punishes athletes that had nothing to do with it.

[BigTyla]

At this point though, who really cares. I hate the way the NCAA works. When it finally does have an insurmountable mountain of evidence (5 years after the fact), it punishes athletes that had nothing to do with it.

I agree. They operate under the guise of punishing the school, but I can imagine a lot of athletes at USC are a lot worse off now than they were three years ago.

[AdamVR4]

I agree. They operate under the guise of punishing the school, but I can imagine a lot of athletes at USC are a lot worse off now than they were three years ago.

Agreed. And with the ludicrous amounts of money that schools are making off of these amateur athletes, it's asinine not to give them a cut. I think it's time for universities to empower a new governing body.

[BigTyla]

Agreed. And with the ludicrous amounts of money that schools are making off of these amateur athletes, it's asinine not to give them a cut. I think it's time for universities to empower a new governing body.

I think stipends are a great solution to this. I got paid to go to college because I offered my services to the university as a graduate research assistant. Shouldn't an athlete get a stipend as well for offering his services as a student athlete?