In an echo of the Reggie Bush situation at USC, or the myriad of NCAA issues stemming from an off-season party that struck at the beginning of the 2010 season, breakout star and quarterback of the undefeated Auburn Tigers, Cameron Newton, has become embroiled in a pay-for-play scandal that alleges that someone working on Newton’s behalf tried to get money from colleges for Newton’s signing a letter of intent with them.
The going rate for the talented but troubled former Florida Gator, who was dismissed from that team after a criminal arrest for burglary, was $200,000 according to John Bond, a former Mississippi State quarterback who is at the center of the allegations. “During the 2009 football season, I was contacted by a former football teammate, who represented to me that he was speaking for the Newton camp,” Bond said in a statement to the AP via his attorney. “He told me that Cam Newton wanted to play at Mississippi State, but that a specified payment would have to be made. I reported the conversation to the Mississippi State Athletic Department; I was told by the Athletic Department that Mississippi State would not respond to the overture that was made to me, and that Mississippi State would continue to recruit Cam Newton as it does any other football recruit.”
The former football player who approached Bond is believed to be Kenny Rogers, a former teammate of Bond’s who now runs Elite Football Preparation, a service that matches high school players with potential colleges and assists high school athletes with college preparation. Rogers has previous run-ins with both the NFL Players Association and the NCAA.
Tags: Auburn, Auburn Tigers, Cameron Newton, Cam Newton, NCAA investigations, pay-for-play, Mississippi State, John Bond, Gene Chizik, recruiting violations, paying for recruits, NCAA sanctions, Elite Football Preparation, Kenny Rogers,
