Alabama Fires part-time Employee

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TUSCALOOSA -- Alabama fired a part-time employee Monday for playing unauthorized music through the public address system at Bryant-Denny Stadium before the 75th Iron Bowl. The school did not release the person's name, who was held accountable for playing songs such as "Take The Money And Run" and "Son of a Preacher Man" after Auburn quarterback Cam Newton appeared on the field for pregame warmups. Newton's father, Cecil Newton, has been accused of shopping his son around to at least one university in what has been described as a pay-for-play scheme. Cecil is a pastor at a pastor Holy Zion Center of Deliverance in Newman, Ga. The NCAA and the Southeastern Conference have not taken any action against Cam, who is expected to play in Saturday's SEC championship against South Carolina in Atlanta. "Our processes require that all music and videos played in the stadium prior to and during every game be carefully scripted and approved by a senior administrator in the Athletics Department," Alabama public relations director Deborah Lane said in a statement. "The former staff member deviated from the script that had been approved for the game with Auburn, and the University took steps to immediately terminate his contract." Newton, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, guided Auburn on Friday to a come-from-behind 28-27 victory against Alabama. Afterward, Newton raced around the field for several minutes at times placing his index finger to his mouth as if to quiet the remaining crowd. "The University of Alabama takes great pride in our football team's long-standing tradition of playing the game with dignity and class, and showing respect for players and coaches of opposing teams," Lane said. "We are disappointed when the actions of any staff member undermine our deeply held values and expectations."

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