Despite Turmoil, Newton Keeps on Smiling

The events of the past week surrounding Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and allegations that someone was on the take for his services is a fresh reminder that college football is a blood sport. As we embark on Georgia week, we think of the family ties between the two programs.

While the South's oldest rivalry may be something close to family, don't believe for a minute that either program let's its guard down with the other. That's a way of life in college football today.

In a world with sports agents, rogue alumni and backbiting rivals, the days of the gentleman's handshake are gone. No program can trust another in this atmosphere.

There were probably few who were surprised when Florida coach Urban Meyer's name emerged on Friday as the source of The New York Times article that brought into question Newton's recruitment from Blinn Junior College in Texas.

While there were strong denials from Meyer and former Miss St. quarterback John Bond, who sits at the center of the controversy, we've all been taught the smoke and fire metaphor.

Believe what you will, I see fire.

In the span of two seasons, Meyer has become a shell of his former success. He now looks the part of the desperate coach who's watched his program crash like Nancy Pelosi on election night.

With his player arrest record rising faster than unemployment and questions of whether he can win without Tim Tebow, Auburn should be the least of his concerns.

Watch Meyer today and you see the paranoia of Richard Nixon and a coach who more closely resembles Ron Zook than Steve Spurrier. Inserting himself into the Newton story has to make Gator fans shake their heads.

Doesn't he have enough problems with the Florida players who haven't left?

Last year, I told the story of a friend of mine whose son was a four-star recruit who took a visit to Gainesville. I wrote this at the time:

I talked to a recruit who attended the Florida-South Carolina game last year and he said he actually put his wallet in his front pocket because of the recruits who were there visiting. He said they were cast straight from the streets of Miami. 

After I wrote that piece, a sport writer for The Orlando Sentinel called my words racist. The number of Florida players arrested during Meyer's tenure now tops 25. I've yet to get an apology from the yahoo who wrote the story. I guess it's more important to be politically correct than truthful.

It would be wise for Meyer to get himself and his team under control before he attempts the same with another program.

Auburn fans should find comfort in the name, Rich McGlynn. He's the head of compliance for the University and can only be described as a hard ass. Auburn coaches complain that he works against the program. He leaves nothing to chance.

A former NCAA investigator, McGlynn has a reputation for going above and beyond the by-laws of the NCAA. As someone close to the program said on Friday, if McGlynn even sniffed a problem, Newton would be sitting.

As for Cam, all of this seems to fall off him like an LSU defender. Despite the news reports, he continues to flash that winning smile. A solid performance on Saturday against Georgia will all but wrap up the Heisman Trophy.

Sure there will be a few northeast liberal elitist writers (see The New York Times) who will convict Newton and hold it against him. But right now, it appears that his votes are holding up.

Let's don't allow Meyer and the liberal media to piss on Auburn's parade. This weekend's contest is about more than trophies and championships. It's about taking care of unfinished business and taking out four years of frustration on Georgia's backside.

It's Georgia week and it's never been bigger!