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The NCAA has declared Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton eligible to play in Saturday's SEC championship game, even after determining the player was being shopped by his father and another man in a pay-for-play scheme that violated NCAA rules.
The NCAA released that information Wednesday in a news release, drawing heated criticism from some upset college football coaches. The organization concluded Monday there was a violation of amateurism rules involving Newton, and Auburn declared him ineligible Tuesday.
The university then requested that Newton's eligibility be reinstated by the NCAA, which did so Wednesday without any conditions.
"Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement," said Kevin Lennon, the NCAA's vice president for academic and membership affairs, in the news release. "From a student-athlete reinstatement perspective, Auburn University met its obligation ... Under this threshold, the student-athlete has not participated while ineligible."
NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn declined to comment beyond the news release.
The NCAA’s reinstatement of Newton left many college football coaches fuming.
"They’re opening themselves up," a head coach said Wednesday of the NCAA. "This is a whole new can of worms. When you’re not holding the kid accountable then what is there to lose? Tell me that. Nothing.
"We as coaches have to stand up now and say, 'NCAA, you’re wrong. It’s not right.' Our institutions and presidents have to stand up and say, ‘No, we’re not going to play this ball game.’ We’ve got to take a stand or we’re not going to be able to close these floodgates. Now, the kid and all the people associated with him just have to say, ‘He didn’t know.’ And with that, he’s set free. That’s not fair to us or the kid."
Said another head coach: "What they’re saying is as long as the kid has nothing to do with the solicitation then you’re OK. It's a joke, man. This blows everything wide open. Now, it really becomes the haves and the have-nots. It'll be everybody doing the SEC money thing, but all across the country. Here we go. Get ready."
"With all this, how can they possibly give that kid the Heisman Trophy after we got embarrassed with Reggie Bush? This is just a farce."
Former Mississippi State player Kenny Rogers has said that Newton's father, Cecil Newton Sr., sought $100,000 to $180,000 for his son to attend Mississippi State.
Mississippi State booster Bill Bell told ESPN.com earlier this month that Rogers, with whom he played football at Mississippi State in the early 1980s, sent a text message to him with a payment schedule. It was for $80,000 when Cameron Newton signed, $50,000 30 days later and another $50,000 30 days after that.
Both Rogers and Bell have been interviewed by the NCAA. The elder Newton and Cameron Newton have previously denied any wrongdoing.
"We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University," Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said in the news release. "We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter."
The NCAA said in the news release that Auburn has limited the access of Newton's father to its athletics program and Mississippi State has disassociated itself with the "involved individual," but does not name Rogers.
"The conduct of Cam Newton's father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in the news release. "The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC."
But while Newton, the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, is eligible for BCS top-ranked Auburn's matchup Saturday against South Carolina in the SEC title game, the NCAA left open the possibility that its investigation of his recruitment isn't over.
The organization does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations, but in the news release, it said reinstatement is independent of the enforcement process and generally made once the student-athlete's involvement is determined. It noted that the reinstatement process "is likely to conclude prior to the close of an investigation."
Those distinctions are significant, according to a source familiar with the NCAA's enforcement process.
"There may still be more actions to come," the source said.
Because every NCAA case is unique, it's difficult to say whether Newton's reinstatement is consistent with other resolved cases of the same scope, according to the source.
"Quite frankly, I'm not certain that the NCAA membership believes that if the parent or someone associated with a perspective student-athletes goes out and solicits money in exchange for the individual perspective student-athlete to come to an institution whether that alone is a violation," the source said. "Some institutions don't read the bylaw that way. Some believe that there has to be an actual exchange."
