Well, AU can start their own association if they want but they could ban them from the NCAA. Technically we haven't seen any information that Auburn has done anything wrong, but now they know or should have suspicion that Cam MIGHT be ineligible. At this point, they are putting their neck on the line whether or not he was paid by Auburn. If he is ruled ineligible they will get hammered if they continue this circus. BTW, now it's starting to sound like the agent guy had talks with Auburn coaches, and this might explain why they are going all in. We'll see.
The NCAA can do this. Submit a show-cause penalty which is an order saying that a coach involved in major rules violations at a university's athletic program may not be hired by any other NCAA member institutions without permission from the Infractions Committee for a set period of time.
Damn au is taking a hell of a risk to play in the bcsnc game. From the post that au fans have made that someone put up on this site you can see that they don't believe it. There will be lots of sad Saturdays the auburn nation for years to come. But really after watching them stomp on the eye in tiger stadium and smoke cigars I can't say I feel too sorry for them
SMU received the death penalty for recruiting violations in 1987. SMU was banned from fielding a team and their season cancelled in '87, and the school also decided not to field a team in '88 after most of their players transferred. This not only virtually destroyed that program, (they've never really had a decent team since then) but it was also a big factor in the demise of the Southwest Conference. The death of the SWC started with Arkansas leaving for the SEC, and was followed by the big Texas schools bailing out for the Big 8, forming the Big 12. That left TCU, SMU and Rice out, to join the WAC. Since that disaster, the NCAA has been loath to hand out the death penalty.
I don't know a thing about Chizik, but with the success that Saban has had in Bama, how much pressure do you think is on Chizik to do something to make Auburn competitive with the Tide? I'd have to guess that it's immense.
The Federal thing is a very interesting angle. I'm not a legal guy, but I wonder about churches and being tax exempt as a non-profit and how those kinds of cash transactions could affect Cecil Newton as well. Could this also get the IRS involved?
SMU ... Southern Methodists University! Wow .. I haven't heard about them in decades. Auburn needs to take note. SMU was once a football powerhouse in the old Southwest Conference. Got nailed by the NCAA, scholarships taken away, no bowl eligibility, cancelled 1987 and 88 seasons, etc ... The program completely deteriorated. They ended up in the WAC cause nobody wanted them, now they are in Conference USA .. whatever in the heck that is. Did see they play Tulane, UTEP, and Marshall. ... and finally, after 20 years, appeared in a bowl game, the Hawaii Bowl, in 2009. I don't see the NCAA comming down on Auburn like they did on SMU. SMU was directly involved in pay for play. Auburn would just be guilty of being stupid for playing a person who is suspected of ineligibility, but has really done nothing wrong. In defense of Chavis, ... Newton is an eligible player, at least for now. Until the NCAA concludes its investigation, that eligibility stands. And, since AU allegedly was not part of the deal, they can't be spanked too hard. OTOH .. if an audit show up that AU topped MSU in money contributions to aquire Newton .. AU is screwed ... big time!!!
