As Jordan and I discussed last night on Sooner Nation we couldn't be more pleased that quarterback Cam Newton chose not to come to Oklahoma. However, a seemingly well informed post on the LSU message board Tiger Droppings implies that Auburn has much deeper issues than Cameron Newton. Here are just a few examples...
The FBI has been investigating Colonial Bank and Louder for a number of possible violations in the financial market crash which are unrelated to AU. Part of the investigation involved gambling fraud between McGregor and Colonial Bank. Something called the Rico Stature allowed the justice department to set up wiretaps on Colonial Bank. On the wiretaps the FBI found major AU recruiting infractions involving Louder, McGregor, Dye, Trooper, boosters and others. Here's what they say the FBI has on tape and can prove AU did:
- The people above are on tape explaining who they paid and how they did it.
- It involves many AU players
- Providing unmarked Colonial Bank ATM cards to players to withdraw money from secret accounts.
- Giving "slot machine cards" to the players, which now involves the Alabama Gaming Commission.
- Provided improper loans to some of the families in our last and current recruiting class.
- The NCAA "strongly" recommended that AU sit Cam for GA. game because of the mounting evidence.
- President Grogue wanted to sit Cam but was overruled by Louder and the Board of Trustees.
- Coach Chizik knows none of this and has been lied to by Jacobs.
- The people named above know the S%#& is going to hit the fan "bigtime" and have decided "we're going down" so lets win the title even if they take it away later.
- Slive knew about this early and sat on the information and is alsoin the "crosshairs" of the FBI..
- The corruption is so deep at the highest level (trustees) that AU will be evicted from kicked out of the SEC.
• This will be revealed by the end of the week.
1st is an Article in the Tuskegee News dated October 21st. In short, the writer suggests a lobbying/consulting group has been used by the Auburn Athletic Foundation to launder cash ultimately ending up in the hands of players/player families. Robert Geddie was a partner in the firm Fine-Geddie until his indictment and arrest in October. According to the Department of Justice, (Geddie) was nailed for allegedly working with the state's major gambling interests to influence and/or buying votes favoring proposed gambling houses. The indictment was based primarily on intercepts (wire taps) of cell phone and land-line conversations with those now rumored to have facilitated the PFP scheme.
This is an Amazing Read.
LINK
Adding fuel to the fire are the ties between former Colonial Bank Chairman Bobby Lowder (Bank of $25Billion failed earlier this year), Milton McGregor (Dog Track, Bingo, and Casino Owner), and Pat Dye (former AU Football Coach). These were the three largest shareholders of the now defunct Colonial BancGroup, a mortgage brokerage, commercial banking, and mortgage warehousing firm based in Montgomery, Al. McGregor was indicted about the same time as Geddie. Wire-taps were the backbone behind the indictments, but it has been speculated by most the FBI overheard conversations between McGergor, Rane, Dye, and coaches talking about the PFP schemes that are speculated at Auburn. What most are saying is that the FBI just stumbled into the PFP planning while gathering the voter fraud and political corruption evidence. Notice how the 1st person the FBI supposedly questioned regarding Cam and his Father was John Bond. Next, they're going to Kenny Rodgers (this Tuesday). Speculation is the Feds are gathering the bits and pieces from the MSU side which can be proven or substantiated with the wire tap tapes they have between all of these AU Boosters, and then are going to the AU side corner those suspects either in perjured testimony, or extortion charges relating to this unintended evidence. Once they are able to turn the smaller players, the FBI will turn the pleas against the real targets, in very much the same fashion as the Edwin Edwards and William Jefferson Cases.
Think about it for a minute. The FBI could care less about college football unless it involves organized gambling or extortion. They are after evidence of Voter Influence, mis-appropriation of Bank Funds, extortion, embezzlement, the ultimate goal being to gain as many assets as possible to offset the FDIC losses incurred from the Colonial failure, while punishing those behind the schemes.
Again, this thing now goes way beyond PFP schemes, and it appears the FED's goal is to build the ultimate case against Bobby Lowder. Here is what is being said about Lowder's tie in to all of this.
This goes way beyond Cam. They say the FBI, while monitoring the Bingo mess in Montgomery and also investigating the misappropriation of TARP funds by Colonial Bank, uncovered many, many things. Such things include guaranteed winning slot machines for AU players at Milt's (Colonial Board member, AU Booster) Casino, unmarked ATM cards issued to AU players from Colonial Bank (Bobby Lowder-AU Board Member and Booster; Pat Dye-Colonial Board member, AU employee and Booster), forgiven loans to families, friends, donors, etc.
If true, big time jail time, loss of SACS accreditation which means expulsion from the SEC, huge financial implications for AU, removal of Dye's name from the field and so on.
This also explains why the AU President wanted to sit Cam last Saturday, but was overridden by Lowder, Dye, Jacobs, Rane and McGregor.
Coach Chiz was hired December 13th, 2008. Auburn's Class consisted of 28 players being signed, ranked 25th in the Country (LSU #1, Bama #2, Fla. #5, UGA #6, USCe #12, UTenn, #15, ARKY. #20, Ole Miss #22, Miss. St. #23). AU's top rated player that year was DeAngelo Benton, a highly sought after, but academically troubling player from La. that had originally committed to LSU. Production thus far in his career is just 7 receptions for only 103 yards.
The 2010 Class, built primarily on the efforts of Trooper Taylor (as per AU Football Media Propaganda), miraculously lands the #1 players from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, as well as the #1 JUCO signee in Cam Newton. Why the turnaround, when their previous season only netted a 7-5 regular season record (3-5 SEC), along with an overtime win against Northwestern on New Years Day.
Enter CamGate, Lowder & Co., and Trooper Taylor.
The Rodgers/Bodn/Mullen/Cecil/SEC/NCAA/FBI Timeline (as per TD poster Ilovebama):
- Before 2009 Egg Bowl, Ken Rodgers talked with Cecil, who said "It's not gonna be free this time."
- Nov 27th, 2009 Ken Rodgers meets Cam and Dan, for the first time.
- Nov 27th, 2009 Ken, Cecil, and two coaches meet at Hilton Garden Inn, where Cecil says "Anywhere between $100,000 and $180,000." coaches respond ‘No, no, I don't want to hear that,'
- Nov 29th, 2009 Ken leaves Bill Bell a voicemail asking if the deal is going to get done
- Bell was contacted by Cecil Newton asking for money
- Bell calls Bond and urges Bond to tell MSU officials.
- Bond calls Byrne
- Dec 14th, 2009 Cam pushes committing back to Dec 22nd, 2009
- Dec 20th, 2009 Cam visits Auburn, Dad was not there
- Cam commits Dec 31st
Trevon Reed is a solid to Strong LSU verbal, until very late in the process when he abruptly changes his mind to Auburn, against the better judgment of his high school coach. Similar waffling is also experienced with Dyer, Coleman, and Others. It has been mentioned there exists a recorded conversation between TTaylor and McGregor discussing the progress in wrapping up this class. To paraphrase,"... just one more deal to cut and it's all done. Then there's a mention of needing $200K to close it out."
AUBURN'S SLIPPERY SLOPE
- January, 2010 Byrne (MSU)reports to SEC
- SEC responds wanting more information, into allegations
- MSU waits because they are working on eligibility's issues relating to their Basketball program, currently in season
- SEC contacts NCAA
- NCAA-SEC get with MSU
- During this time, the Church managed by Newton was in financial trouble and facing eviction but suddenly had enough cash to do extensive renovations to meet building codes.
- Newton's father owned a small trucking company with two drivers. After Newton signed they were flushed with so many contracts that a dozen drivers were hired.
- OCTOBER 4TH, 2010. McGregor, Geddie, and others with political ties Lowder and Co. are indicted and arrested, based on taped conversations held during the previous 13 months.
- 10/21/2010 Dan Mullen goes on Rivals radio ASKED... how close were you to getting Cam at MSU ...Dan Mullen: "thats a long long story ...that be in the book."
- Nov 4th, Bond releases statement "During the 2009 football season, I was contacted by a former football teammate, who represented to me that he was speaking for the Newton camp. He told me that Cam Newton wanted to play at Mississippi State, but that a specified payment would have to be made. I reported the conversation to the Mississippi State Athletic Department. I was told by the Athletic Department that Mississippi State would not respond to the overture that was made to me, and that Mississippi State would continue to recruit Cam Newton as it does any other football recruit."
- MSU: "We are comfortable that representatives of Mississippi State University's interests conducted themselves appropriately and in compliance with all NCAA by-laws. Mississippi State is committed to operating our athletics programs within the rules of the NCAA and Southeastern Conference, and we expect those affiliated with our program to continue to do the same."
- Cecil Newton, the quarterback's father, denied the allegations to ESPN.com. "If Rogers tried to solicit money from Mississippi State, he did it on his own, without our knowledge," he told the website.
- Chizik: "I'm standing up here on a very important week trying to defend something that quite frankly is garbage," Chizik told reporters. "Is there a wizard behind the curtain? I don't know. Is there one, is there two, are there 10? I don't know and I don't care. But what I do care about is coming to the defense of not only a great football player but a great human being who comes from a great family."
- Nov 8th, Foxsports.com reports that Newton was caught cheating three times at Florida.
- Nov 9th, Auburn AD called cheating allegations "sad". "Cam is by all accounts a great kid."
- Nov 9th, ESPN.com's Joe Schad reported that "two sources who recruit for Mississippi State" said in separate phone conversations that Cam Newton's decision to commit to a school "would be part of a pay-for-play" plan.
- FBI gets involved in the MSU portion of the investigation, as they are already well trenched in the Auburn/Lowder/McGregor and friends side.
- Nov 10th, Once the NCAA enforcement staff became involved, Mississippi State University cooperated fully with its investigation. MSU is confident the SEC office has managed this process consistent with its established procedures and the university is committed to the conference's ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with SEC and NCAA rules.
- Nov 11th, "The SEC never received information from MSU about phone calls with the Newtons about pay for play," SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said in an e-mail Thursday.
- Nov 11th, Bond releases a statement. "My story hasn't changed. I absolutely talked with Kenny Rogers, and there are phone records that will show that." Bond said he's scheduled to meet with the FBI on Tuesday and plans to turn over his phone records and anything else they ask for at that point. He said the FBI reached out to his attorney earlier this week wanting to talk with him about the Newton situation, in particular if kids were being shopped out to colleges. That meeting was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed by the FBI until next Tuesday. "Until I speak with the FBI, I'd prefer not to say much more,"
- Nov 11th Rogers admits, after previously denying, that in fact Cecil Newton had asked for money to recruit his son to play at MSU.
- Nov 11th Bill Bell says he was contacted and asked for payment by Cecil Newton and he has been interviewed by the NCAA
- Nov 12th Jay Jacobs says "We aren't commenting on it"
- Bond to meet FBI on November 16th, later said "This has nothing to do with Auburn, Absolutely nothing to do with Auburn. The FBI does not want anyone selling the right to players"
- Rodgers to meet with NCAA around November 16th
- Nov 12th, Cecil Newton admits to asking for money from MSU in exchange for Cam to play there.
- Nov 12th, ESPN reports that a source stated that he was contacted by an emotional Cam Newton stating his regret that he would not be playing for MSU, as his father had chosen Auburn because "the money was too much".
- Nov 13th, Despite all of the above evidence, Auburn Still Plays Newton
Now, keep in mind that this is all message board fodder but it sure seems too detailed and complete to me to not be from someone in the know. The truth is that no one will know exactly what is going to happen with this situation until the NCAA releases a statement at the end of their investigation and based on track records that could be five years from now. However, if I'm an Auburn fan I'm not feeling real comfortable right now.