"Witch Hunt" Against Cam Newton Continues

ESPN is now reporting on its website that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and his father each had a phone conversation with a Mississippi State recruiter that acknowledged a pay-for-play arrangement for the prized recruit.

One of the recruiters said Cecil Newton told him before Newton committed to Auburn that it would take "more than a scholarship" for his son to attend Mississippi State. An unidentified source told ESPN that another recruiter received a phone call from an emotional Cam Newton after he committed to the Tigers, when he said his father selected Auburn for him because "the money was too much."

Foxsports.com reported Monday that Newton was caught cheating three times and was to appear for a hearing in front of Florida's student committee facing possible expulsion during the spring semester of 2009.

Newton transferred to Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, where he played last season. He declined to discuss the latest report, which came on the heels of former Mississippi State quarterback John Bond saying someone claiming to represent the Newton family sought money during his recruitment by the school.

"I'm not going to entertain something that took place not three months, not six months, not a year but two years ago," Newton said. "I'm not going to sit up here and say anything about it, whether I did or did not do it, because I don't want to beat a dead horse talking about it. It's not going to affect me any way, shape or fashion."

Cecil Newton has called this a "witch hunt" against his son.