Cecil Newton, father of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, has been accused of trying to extort money from Mississippi State in exchange for his son’s signature on a letter-of-intent. Kenny Rogers, a recruiter for an NFL agent and former MSU team member, has also been accused of soliciting money on behalf of the Newton family. USA Today reports that Rogers was told it would take $100,000 to $180,000 for the Bulldogs to sign Newton out of Blinn College.
“If somebody’s asking for that kind of money, I don’t have it,” Rogers said in an interview Thursday. “I just called somebody I was close to, to see if he knew of anybody, or to let him know about it so he could tell somebody else what was going on.”
John Bond and Bill Bell have been identified as whistle-blowers in the incident. Bell told Bond that he had been contacted by Cecil Newton, who asked for money in exchange for his son’s signature. Bond, who is a former MSU quarterback and coach, contacted MUS officials at Bell’s urging. “He said, ‘We’ve got a problem,’ ” Bond said. “He said, ‘I don’t know those guys (MSU officials), you do. Call them and tell them.”
According to Fox News, the FBI will be investigating the “pay-for-play” claims.
Bond maintains that he did the right thing by exposing Cam Newton’s father. “Without a doubt, I absolutely did the right thing.”
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