Stewart Mandel's Opinion on AU not benching Cam

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If Cam Newton's father has admitted to soliciting money during the recruiting process, as has been reported, and the rule clearly states that soliciting money on behalf of someone is a violation, why is he still playing? This makes no sense. If the NCAA doesn't step in, others could miss out on a national championship to a team that is clearly playing an ineligible player. -- Chris, Boise

Only the Auburn administration could possibly tell us why Newton is still playing -- and it's exercising a strict "no-comment" policy. But believe me, there are a lot of folks around college athletics right now wondering the same thing. Standard procedure in these matters is to sit a player and apply for reinstatement if there are any questions surrounding his eligibility. It's what Georgia did with A.J. Green. It's what Alabama did with Marcell Dareus. Auburn, an NCAA member, is basically flouting NCAA protocol, and it sends a terrible message to the rest of college sports. If you get caught selling a game-worn jersey to a runner, you miss the first four games of the season, but if your father stands accused of soliciting six figures for your recruitment, but you happen to be in the midst of a national championship hunt -- play on. Mandel Initiative Source: SI Stewart and Mallory discuss the latest controversies at Auburn. Teddy Greenstein breaks down the Big Ten race. SUBSCRIBE The NCAA cannot step in and suspend an active player until it completes its investigation. It's up to the school to sit him and apply for reinstatement. Auburn must feel it has a compelling case as to why Newton should remain eligible. While the NCAA has officially stated that, "solicitation of cash or benefits by a prospective student-athlete or another individual on his or her behalf is not allowed under NCAA rules," there is no bylaw in its 431-page handbook that states this direct verbiage. When I asked NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn to cite a specific bylaw to which the above statement refers, she said, "the exact bylaw would depend on the specifics of the situation." The closest I could find is section 10.1 (c): "Unethical conduct by a prospective or enrolled student-athlete or a current or former institutional staff member (e.g., coach, professor, tutor, teaching assistant, student manager, student trainer) may include, but is not limited to ... Knowing involvement in offering or providing a prospective or an enrolled student-athlete an improper inducement ..." Note that the word "parent" never appears. Auburn will likely contend that neither the student-athlete nor the staff members had any involvement in Cecil Newton's unethical conduct. But just because this exact and possibly unprecedented situation (in that there's currently no proof any money changed hands) is not stated in the book doesn't mean NCAA staffers can't interpret it as such. That's their job. Meanwhile, even if a violation did occur, nobody yet knows whether it would constitute ineligibility. I'd have to assume it rendered Newton ineligible to play at Mississippi State, but would it follow him to Auburn? We don't know. What we do know is that this is an active investigation, with both the NCAA and FBI -- yes, FBI -- interviewing key figures this week. More information is bound to come out. Either Auburn and its lawyers are daring the NCAA to declare Newton ineligible or they genuinely believe he's in the clear. Either way, they're playing with fire.

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