Here’s the deal and after this I hope I’ll be able to keep my mouth shut- No promises. There’s a lot of allegations against Cam; there’s no denying it, but he’s Auburn’s most known player and as a die hard Tiger fan I have issues with what is being said. Notice I say ‘known player’- not star player, key player, main player, core player, central player, etc. etc. We are a team excelling with Cam not a team centered around him. You can’t refute the attributes and skills of Fairly, Blake, Zachery, Adams, Mosley, Pugh, Berry, Green, Isom, Ziemba, Fannin, McCalebb, Dyer, Winter, and even occasionally Burns. Cam’s Superman-esk attributes just overshadow them because Auburn never has had a decent QB in the years I’ve known. I know, I know Jason Campbell (*ROBOT* enough said). That being said once again, WE ARE NOT A ONE MAN TEAM however, there is also no denying that Cam has lit a fire under the ass of the rest of our players and has really pulled our team together.
However, my main point of this are the crimes against Cam. You say he already stole a laptop, well I read in an article that he bought it from someone after seeing it posted for sale on a bulletin board around campus. Who’s to say the article I read is wrong, and the one you refer to is right. The media only likes to talk about sins not tragedies. Do you ask for a point-of-purchase receipt every time you’ve bought things from friends, newspapers, craigslist, whatever. I doubt it. Pawnshops buy stolen items all the time by accident.
You say he cheated in school at Florida; I say I want to meet the Mother Theresa’s out there who have never snuck a peak at a neighbors’ answers, plagiarized a little in a paper without documenting, wrote names/dates on your body before a test, snuck formulas into a math/chem. test, shared answers on a take home quiz, any many more. Cheating’s bad. I get that and one day I’ll tell my children that cheaters never prosper just like mine told me, but I won’t be able to tell them that I’ve never done it. Hell, I made up an entire college complete with a fake professor who I had a phone interview with somewhere in California for my 9th grade Science Fair Project. All because I didn’t want to do it, and I had to have a bibliography that cited more than just the internet. I did this the night before it was due, actually won 3rd place, and had to go on to the county fair.
You say bullshit-he knew what his father was doing. I wonder, do you know what your parents do all the time. Have they ever told or asked you to do something without telling you the reasons behind it. Are you still living in the same town as your parents? Is it because you want to or because they want you to be close? Have you wanted them to approve of who you’re dating enough to not be with someone they didn’t like, even if they had no reason to your knowledge to dislike them? If you’re like me, then you can’t control what your parents do anymore then they can ultimately control what you do. I can honestly say that there’s been many times in my life that my parents have manipulated me into doing what they thought best without me knowing what was in it for them. Let’s say, hypothetically, Cecil accepted money and needed to persuade Cam to go to Auburn…is it really a hard choice. I mean seriously, if any decent player had the option to go to Auburn or Mississippi State-Who would choose Mississippi State? The last time they were even conference champions was 1941. The reason he chose Auburn was a no brainer, even for non-tiger fans.
I’m not saying that pay for play isn't bad. It’s deceitful and corrupt. I know this. That being said, it happens and no one can stop it. We can set stronger boundaries and fear in people, but they will find a way to make it happen. All we can look at are the facts. Here they are: The financial records have been given to the NCAA and there’s no record of Auburn giving any money, nor is there record of Cecil receiving money in any of his personal accounts or church accounts that he manages. If there were, not only would Cam be ineligible, but also Auburn University would not be bowl eligible. Look at USC. The same year that Auburn went undefeated and got screwed out of the championship game, USC proved to have paid for play including one of their key players; Reggie Bush was proved to have received promotions from additional USC alumni. We didn’t hear as much about that as we’re hearing about Cam though. I wish people weren’t greedy and would be happy with the scholarships they’ve received instead of needing pay for play, but it’s not the case sometimes.
You say, "well if he’s so innocent than why isn’t he loud about defending himself?" I’d like to say if it were me, I’d be pissed and lawyered up, suing for slander and defamation of character and whatever else I could. But the truth is, if you’re a representative of a university, like Cam is with Auburn, then you have to worry about the schools' reputation, not just yours. I once got Saturday suspension in middle school for getting in a fight after a football game when not on school property. However, because I was wearing my cheerleading uniform, I was representing the school...hence the suspension. The fact is that Auburn has had a media lockdown on Cam for a while now, so even if he wanted to he can’t. His career and education are also on the line here, so it’s better for him to keep his mouth shut and let it pass (soon hopefully) then to keep fueling it with denial.
I know this is a whole lot of defense for Cam, but I’m an Auburn Tiger and so is he. I will defend my school, my team, my players until it’s proved otherwise. I’m sure many of you wonder and NO, if he wasn’t a Tiger, I wouldn’t care so much; but answer me this: If he was on your team, would you be as angry about him being proven eligible as you are?
On a side note:
Rivalries go strong-I know this, but Alabama you really proved your lack of class last weekend. The disc jockey (Jason Adiman 2008 Alabama Alumni) played Steve Miller Bands’ “Take the Money and Run” and Springfield’s’ “Son of a Preacher Man” over the Bryant-Denny Stadium sound system as Auburn entered the field. Alabama fans created and were selling crimson t-shirts with “$cam Newton” and “War $cam Newton”. The Alabama student section threw wads of dollar bills featuring his mug shot at Cam as he left the field following a pregame walk through. I’d hope that Auburn fans would never stoop that low. We may all be in Alabama, but location does not constitute for the amount of or lack of class you possess.
Stay confident, stay loyal, and stay classy Tigers. We’re unofficial 2004 National Champions but will soon be official 2010 NATIONAL CHAMPTIONS!!! I believe in Auburn and LOVE IT!
Track ‘em Tigers,
Just like a Beagle.
Give ‘em Hell you
WAR DAMN EAGLES!
If it’s gonna happen sometime…
Then why not now!
We left our house in Tennesee at 7am on July 18th and didn't rest til 1am when we made it to Colby, KS (Mapquest: 14 Hr. 38 Min. 936.66 Miles). We did have a quick pit stop in St. Charles, Mo. to grab lunch with Brian and Terry Schreiber. After a 6-hour-nights sleep, we were at it again. This time stopping at our buddies John and Jessica Mortons' place in Carbondale, Co. We made it by 8pm (Mapquest: 6 Hr. 21 Min. 401.11 Miles). After a great dinner, a false pregnancy scare from the stress of the haul, and 7 1/2-hour-nights sleep, we met John for breakfast and were on our way to Jackson. We arrived around 8pm on July 20th (Mapquest: 8 Hr. 41 Min. 477.55 miles).
Keep in mind that we only traveled at a average speed of 60 mph. Because my car (Volvo XC90) was towing Wes' car (Landrover Defender90).
