Pete Thamel's story

[auburn123 0]

Here is Thamel's article.  You gotta love the second sentence's faint attempt at "IT'S NOT OVER, MAN!  IT CAN'T BE OVER UNTIL I SAY IT'S OVER!!!"  No axe to grind here, when you lead with that one.  I'm surprised he also didn't add, "And SACS will re-evaluate Auburn's accreditation on a regular basis and could put them on probation if new problems develop."  :laugh:   BTW, most Auburn people I know aren't breathing a sigh of relief.  They are saying, "We've been telling you this for months!" 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/sports/ncaafootball/auburn-is-cleared-in-investigation-into-cam-newtons-recruitment.html?_r=1&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nyt%2Frss%2FSports+%28NYT+%3E+Sports%29&seid=auto&smid=tw-nytimessports

Auburn Is Cleared in Investigation Into Newton

By PETE THAMEL

Published: October 12, 2011

Saying it had found no violations, the N.C.A.A. announced the end of its 13-month investigation into Auburn’s football program Wednesday, including the recruitment of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton.

While the N.C.A.A. said there was a window to reopen the investigation if new information arose, the announcement means that Auburn will be able to keep its 2010 Bowl Championship Series title.

The N.C.A.A. said it conducted 50 interviews in the Newton investigation, which centered on a pay-for-play scheme. The N.C.A.A. acknowledged last fall that Newton’s father, Cecil Newton, shopped his son to Mississippi State for nearly $200,000. But the N.C.A.A., after going through bank records, I.R.S. statements, and phone and e-mail records, could find no proof that Auburn paid for Cam Newton’s services.

“It was also determined that Mr. Newton and university representatives were not aware of that activity,” said Jackie A. Thurnes, an associate director of N.C.A.A. enforcement, in a letter to Auburn regarding the shopping of Newton by his father.

The news brought a sigh of relief from the Southeastern Conference office, which was widely criticized for withholding information on the Newton case for months, and from Auburn, which gets to keep its national championship.

Auburn had not appeared too worried about the N.C.A.A. investigation. It began building a statue of Newton, and Coach Gene Chizik aggressively asked an N.C.A.A. official at SEC meetings this spring why the investigation had not already ended.

“We appreciate the N.C.A.A., and thank them for their professionalism and thoroughness during this exhaustive investigation,” Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs said. “We are pleased to put this matter behind us.”

Much as N.C.A.A. investigations and realignment have overshadowed the early part of this college football season, the Newton issue was the backdrop for the latter half of the 2010 season. The New York Times and ESPN.com initially reported allegations in early November that Newton was being shopped around for six figures. The person said to be shopping him, with the knowledge of Cecil Newton, was Kenny Rogers, who had bank documents tying him to an N.F.L. agent, Ian Greengross. (Rogers and Greengross did not return calls Wednesday.)

The former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond, who first revealed that Newton was being shopped, said in a text message on Wednesday: “I don’t know nor do I care what A.U. did or did not do. My concern has always been and always will be M.S.U. That is why I did what I did.”

The N.C.A.A. letter also absolved Auburn in the case of a report by HBO Sports in which four former players said they were given extra benefits. Only one of the former Auburn players, Raven Gray, spoke with the N.C.A.A., and the letter said that his allegations were “not substantiated” and in some cases “disputed by others.” The other three former players declined to assist N.C.A.A. investigators.

[Tiger n Miami AU83 25]

What a garbage article. And he has lied again! How stupid is this clown??

The New York Times and ESPN.com initially reported allegations in early November that Newton was being shopped around for six figures. The person said to be shopping him, with the knowledge of Cecil Newton, was Kenny Rogers, who had bank documents tying him to an N.F.L. agent, Ian Greengross. (Rogers and Greengross did not return calls Wednesday.)

The former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond, who first revealed that Newton was being shopped, said in a text message on Wednesday: “I don’t know nor do I care what A.U. did or did not do. My concern has always been and always will be M.S.U. That is why I did what I did.”

He uses shopped 3 times. Is this guy so unbelievably stupid that he STILL has not figured out the difference between a single unsuccessful solicitation and this "shopping"?

[AU64 10,122]

Guys like Thamel have no conscience...they have been trying to build a career on this case and this "cold" announcement basically says, "guess that's it (for now) so let's move along to something else".  No looking back at where they might have gotten it wrong and certainly no acceptance of the damage they have caused lots of innocent people in their quest for fame. 

Thamel and Schad and numerous others don't even have enough character to eat a little crow when it's deserved.

Their view seems to be:  collateral Damage after all is part of war and if you are in a war zone you have to expect that something bad might happen.

[WarEagle10 77]

I wonder how many keyboards this POS went through writing this article. You know he was crying profusely while writing it. I would bet Cecil butthurt is still in the fecal position also.

[wareagle13 88]

I wonder how many keyboards this POS went through writing this article. You know he was crying profusely while writing it. I would bet Cecil butthurt is still in the fecal position also.

Was that a typo or intentional?  :laugh:

[WarEagle10 77]

I wonder how many keyboards this POS went through writing this article. You know he was crying profusely while writing it. I would bet Cecil butthurt is still in the fecal position also.

Was that a typo or intentional?    :laugh:

[dpwspringer 0]

I suspect that when Cecil/Cam started talking about talking to Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Auburn that Kenny Rogers tried to seal the deal to get Cam Newton for MSU by enticing Cecil with the prospect of getting a lot of money from MSU boosters he knew, but he was blowing smoke and Cecil got the heck away from MSU over it when the amount of money being proposed kept getting smaller and smaller... it started at $180k and got down to $100k, or lower, maybe nothing, from what was said by John Bond. 

Don't forget MSU had played Relf a good bit at qb as a sophomore and he was a junior when Cam was a junior as well, so they already had that type of qb.  At that time there was no reason to believe that MSU was particularly desperate for a physically athlete to play qb.

[RockyMtnTiger 0]

MSU had played Relf a good bit at qb as a sophomore and he was a junior when Cam was a junior as well, so they already had that type of qb. 

Not to be rude cause I know what you were trying to say, but I still couldn't help myself.

One of these is definitely not like the other.

[triangletiger 1,599]

MSU had played Relf a good bit at qb as a sophomore and he was a junior when Cam was a junior as well, so they already had that type of qb. 

Not to be rude cause I know what you were trying to say, but I still couldn't help myself.

One of these is definitely not like the other.

But who knew that before last season?

[mrdude 3]

I wonder how many keyboards this POS went through writing this article. You know he was crying profusely while writing it. I would bet Cecil butthurt is still in the fecal position also.

Was that a typo or intentional?    :laugh:

Maybe being in the fecal position is why he's butthurt

[yeaauburn 21]

MSU had played Relf a good bit at qb as a sophomore and he was a junior when Cam was a junior as well, so they already had that type of qb. 

Not to be rude cause I know what you were trying to say, but I still couldn't help myself.

One of these is definitely not like the other.

No doubt Dan Mullen wanted Cam. Look at Relf's performance this year and Miss State's current record... This coming off what, an 8 or 9 win season last year?