Lev & Stephens return: Pay to Play: Cam Newton Scandal

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/520752-todays-college-football-pay-to-play-or-penalize

Deviance in sports is running rampant. From on and off the field violence, to illegal recruiting, to illegal activities athletes are engaged in, college sports are getting out of control. Recently, athletes such as Reggie Bush, LeGarrette Blount, and Jeremiah Masoli have been exploited by the media due to there illegal and deviant activities both on and off the field. Also, this past off season stirred up an illegal agent party allegation. All of these are giving college sports a negative light on each. (Coakley, 2009)

The most recent scandal is Auburn's Cam Newton accepting illegal funds and being illegally recruited in getting him to play for the Tigers. Cam and his father are accused of telling Mississippi State that it would take money for Cam to play for the Bulldogs. "He said it would take some cash to get Cam," Bond said. "I called our athletic director, Greg Byrne, and he took it from there. That was pretty much it." Also, while at Florida Cam was accused of cheating on tests and stealing some one's laptop(Ruben , 2010) .

Cam left Florida to go to a junior college in Texas called Blinn College. While at Blinn, Cam is reported to telling the Bulldogs that multiple schools have offered him $200,000 to attend their school, but since he had such an interest in Auburn that he would sign for $180,000. Cam, his family, and Auburn deny these accusations. "I'm just trying to protect my son's interests, because he's fought very hard to get back where he is," Cecil Newton said. "It's a hell of a fight when people give up on you and think they'll never see you or hear from you again." Currently, Cam Newton is the starting quarterback for the #1 Auburn Tigers and is the leading candidate for the Heisman trophy. The downfall of these accusations is that they may negatively affect Cam's status in the Heisman committee's views. This will more than likely hold true after the recent finding and stripping of former Heisman trophy winner, Reggie Bush. Auburn coach Gene Chizik reiterated that during his Tiger Talk radio show Thursday night. "Unfortunately, I can't comment on it," Chizik said. "But here's what I can and I will this say very loud and very clear: Cameron Newton is eligible at Auburn University, period. End of story.'' (Forde, Low, & Schlabach, 2010)

Illegal recruiting and accepting of illegal funds from universities and boosters is become more and more present in college athletics. This brings up a related topic on whether college athletes should be paid to play or if the rules should be enforced stricter. The outcome of this accusation may heavily influence which way the NCAA goes with this delicate situation. Illegal recruiting/paying to play cannot be swept under the rug any more and a concrete decision needs to be made.