Four Auburn football players arrested

Four Auburn football players have been kicked off the team after being arrested and charged with robbery, burglary and theft.

Mike McNeil, Antonio Goodwin, Shaun Kitchens and Dakota Mosley all were arrested early Friday morning in Auburn, Ala.

Auburn police said that three black men entered a house about three miles from campus, and one displayed a handgun. Police said they stole property.

After a motor vehicle stop, the four were arrested and a pistol and stolen property were recovered, according to Auburn police. Mosley is white.

The four players were charged with five counts of first-degree robbery, one count of first-degree burglary -- both of which are felonies -- and one count of third-degree theft. All four were being held in the Lee County Detention Center on $511,000 bail.

Later Friday, Auburn coach Gene Chizik issued a statement saying all four players were thrown off the team.

Goodwin

Kitchens

"The players arrested in connection with this deeply troubling incident have been permanently dismissed from our football team," Chizik said in a statement. "While we realize the legal process will run its course and these young men have a right for their case to be heard, playing for Auburn University is an honor and a privilege. It is not a right."

Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs said in a statement: "This type of behavior will not be tolerated at Auburn. I fully support Coach Chizik's swift and decisive action to dismiss these four student-athletes from our football team effective immediately."

McNeil

Mosley

Goodwin, Kitchens and Mosley all were part of the 2010 signing class ranked No. 4 in the nation by ESPNU Recruiting. Mosley redshirted last season. Goodwin and Kitchens played primarily on special teams.

McNeil, a rising senior, led Auburn with 14 tackles in the BCS title game. He was expected to return to anchor the Tigers' secondary next season.

"I am extremely disappointed and embarrassed by the actions of these individuals," Chizik said in a statement. "I want to personally apologize to all of those who were impacted by this senseless act, including the victims, Auburn University and the Auburn family."


espn.com

Nfl confirms lockout but still has draft in april

as some may have heard the nfl players and the owners could not make a deal and is suing the owners. thus may have a lockout for the 2011-2012 season but plan to still draft college players in april even if they dont have a season to look forward too. 

Unable to decide how to divvy up $9 billion a year, NFL owners and players put the country's most popular sport in limbo by breaking off labor negotiations hours before the collective bargaining agreement expired. At midnight, as Friday became Saturday, the owners locked out the players -- creating the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 and putting the 2011 season in jeopardy.

The league said in a statement Saturday it was "taking the difficult but necessary step of exercising its right under federal labor low to impose a lockout of the union."

On Friday, the union decertified, meaning it declared itself out of the business of representing players. In exchange for giving up their rights under labor law, the players are able to take their chances in court under antitrust law.

That paved the way for 10 players, including MVP quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, to sue the owners in federal court in Minneapolis in a class-action claim. The players also sought an injunction to block a lockout -- even before one had been imposed.

Despite two extensions to the collective bargaining agreement during 16 days of talks overseen by a federal mediator -- following months of stop-and-start negotiating -- the sides could not agree on a new deal.

The league's statement Saturday called the NFL Players Association's decertification a "sham" and said the players' court action is "built on the indisputably false premise that the NFLPA has stopped being a union and will merely delay the process of reaching an agreement."

The statement told fans: "We know that you want football. You will have football. This will be resolved."

In the end, it appeared the sides were about $185 million apart on how much owners should get up front each season for certain operating expenses before splitting the rest of the revenues with players -- a far cry from the $1 billion that separated the sides for months.

But the union refused to budge any further without getting detailed financial information for each team. 


espn.com

Ohio State's football coach benched for start of new season

COLUMBUS, OHIO (AP)

Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel received an e-mail last April telling him that two of his players were caught up in a federal drug-trafficking case and the sale of memorabilia, breaking NCAA rules.

Tressel responded: ''I will get on it ASAP.''

But he never mentioned it to Ohio State's compliance department or his athletic director for more than nine months.

On Tuesday, Tressel was suspended for the first two games of the 2011 season and fined $250,000 for violating NCAA rules by failing to notify the school about the players' involvement. He also will receive a public reprimand and must make a public apology.

The NCAA is still investigating and could reject Ohio State's self-imposed penalties and add more sanctions.

''Obviously I'm disappointed that this happened at all,'' Tressel said. ''I take my responsibility for what we do at Ohio State tremendously seriously and for the game of football. I plan to grow from this. I'm sincerely saddened by the fact that I let some people down and didn't do things as well as I possibly could have.''

Last December, the NCAA suspended quarterback Terrelle Pryor and four teammates for the first five games on the 2011 season for selling jerseys, championship rings and trophies to a local tattoo parlor owner. The suspensions came just 16 days after the U.S. attorney told the school of a federal investigation that included players.

The school did not learn until January, however, that Tressel had been tipped off to the federal investigation back in April.

Yahoo! Sports first reported Tressel's prior knowledge of the possible improper benefits on Monday.

''I think that your No. 1 critic is yourself,'' he said, tears welling in his eyes at a Tuesday night news conference. ''You spend time thinking about how you can do things better. I don't think less of myself at this moment. I felt at the time as if I was doing the right thing for the safety of the young people and the overall situation.''

Asked when he first realized that he had violated NCAA rules, Tressel blinked, faltered and hesitated - momentarily speechless.

Tressel said he never thought of resigning, and Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said he never seriously considered firing Tressel for violating his contract, which specifies that he must immediately report any - the word is underlined in the contract - information which pertains to violations of NCAA, Big Ten or Ohio State bylaws and rules.

''Wherever we end up, Jim Tressel is our football coach,'' Smith said. ''He is our coach, and we trust him implicitly.''

On April 2, 2010, Tressel received an e-mail from a person he identified only as ''a lawyer,'' who wrote that Ohio State players had been implicated in activities with Eddie Rife, a local tattoo-parlor owner, whom the federal government was investigating on charges of drug-trafficking. The e-mail, released to reporters but with the names redacted, said players were selling signed Buckeyes memorabilia and giving it to Rife in exchange for money and tattoos.

Tressel said he allowed the two players cited in the e-mail to play the entire 2010 season because he did not want to ''interfere with a federal investigation'' and worried that sitting eligible players would raise a ''whole new set of questions.''

The Buckeyes coach said he was trying to protect his players by not breaking the confidentiality of the federal investigation.

''Admittedly, I probably did not give quite as much thought to the potential NCAA part of things,'' he said.

Along with Pryor, starting receiver DeVier Posey, leading rusher Dan ''Boom'' Herron, offensive lineman Mike Adams and backup defensive lineman Solomon Thomas were suspended for selling memorabilia, but allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl, which the Buckeyes won 31-26 against Arkansas.

''I plan to grow from this,'' Tressel said. ''I'm sincerely saddened by the fact that I let some people down and didn't do things as well as I possibly could have.''Shortly after Ohio State returned from New Orleans, the university began reviewing its information on an unrelated legal issue, Smith said Tuesday, and Tressel acknowledged he had not told everything he knew about his players and their relationship with the tattoo parlor and its owner.

This was not the first time Tressel or his players have run into problems with the NCAA. Ray Isaac, a star quarterback at Youngstown State, accepted improper inducements including cars. Tressel was found to have done an incomplete investigation of those allegations, with Youngstown State later serving penalties. In addition, Maurice Clarett, who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship, and Troy Smith, winner of the 2006 Heisman Trophy, were suspended by the NCAA for receiving money and other benefits from boosters.

The Buckeyes open next season with games against Akron and Toledo, likely playing those without their coach and their star quarterback.

The team resumed workouts this week - with all of the suspended players participating, and with Tressel in the middle of practice with a whistle around his neck.

from fox sports.com

Cam newtons Pro day review.

AUBURN, Ala. -- Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton waited more than four hours while his Auburn teammates went through their drills at pro day.

Then came the 48-minute grand finale, where the quarterback once again put his arm and footwork on display before dozens of NFL officials. Newton felt he had plenty to prove after drawing less-than-rave reviews for his throwing session at the combine."Every single day I feel like I have coaching pointers," the 6-foot-5, 248-pounder said. "The combine was no different. I left there not happy with my performance but came out today and wanted to focus on the things I didn't do well at the combine."

That means making passes on patterns like comebacks, posts and out routes and being more consistent in making the transition from the spread to prostyle offenses. His performance drew some nice reviews.

"It was way better than the combine," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "I saw what I expected to see. He's a big-armed kid. He's working real hard on his footwork. By no means is he a finished product. Like any spread quarterback, he's got a long way to go with his footwork.

"His footwork hasn't caught up with his arm yet. He's working hard. The throws I was most impressed with were the ones I wanted to see, which were the deep ins, the skinny posts, the deep comebacks. Those are the throws you don't see a lot in the spread offense."

There were 125 NFL officials, including five head coaches, at the 5½-hour pro day, Auburn said. That includes new Carolina coach Ron Rivera, whose team has the first overall pick that some buzz has indicated might go to either Newton or Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley.

Rivera declined to comment on the afternoon, but praised Newton at the combine.

Newton and Fairley both participated only in the position drills and let their 40 times and other performances from the combine stand.

That meant a long wait for both, who went back-to-back at the end. Newton chatted with NFL types -- including Rivera -- and former teammates, shagged field goals and basically hung out until his time came.

Even with all the focus on his throws, he offered both wide smiles and banter to people on the sidelines.

Unofficially, he threw 53 passes with receivers running routes and completed 42 of them with a few drops and several overthrows, including a couple on deep sideline routes. He was 10 for 10 before that.

His personal coach, George Whitfield Jr., called out a checklist of plays and then asked if there were any more that NFL officials wanted to see.

“

If Michael Jordan one night scores 20 points, you best believe the next team that he faces is going to have to deal with 45 going in.

”-- George Whitfield Jr., quarterback coach for Cam Newton, on Newton atoning for his combine performance

"That was his routine today. Go through it. Attack everything," said Whitfield, who has been working with Newton in San Diego. "And I thought he did that. He had fun. He's laughing, he's playing. I kind of think playing back here at Jordan-Hare [Stadium] maybe added a little bit to his comfort level, and hey, he's a very, very proud athlete and he's a very competitive guy.

"If Michael Jordan one night scores 20 points, you best believe the next team that he faces is going to have to deal with 45 going in. I think that's the kind of mindset Cam had today."

Whitfield said new Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer -- who might be looking to replace another mobile quarterback, Vince Young -- and Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt asked for a couple of more throws.

Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix said he saw what he wanted to out of Newton, but emphasized that much more goes into drafting a player.

"Workouts are a small piece of the puzzle," said Nix, a former Auburn coach. "We go by how they play. Throwing's good. You can tell something about his release and you can tell something about his arm, but the only way you can tell if a guy can play quarterback is when he's being rushed and you've got coverage and you've got to throw it in a tight spot. That's kind of what we go by, 80 percent probably."

The Bills own the third overall pick.

Fairley, who won the Lombardi Award, didn't get quite the comprehensive look during a series of drills with other defensive linemen.

"If anybody can tell if a guy can play football running through those dummies, he's better than I am," Nix said. "But you do see athletic ability. He's got great ability and good feet and speed and burst and all those things. He's a good player. He makes plays on Saturday and he'll make them again on Sunday."

Fairley said he thought the day went "real well." He's still having trouble getting used to getting to talk with NFL coaches.

"It feels weird," he said. "I see those guys on TV and then those guys actually come and talk to me. It feels kind of good."

from espn.com

Nfl Combine Pt. 3 (day 2)

im back with some more recaps on the second day of the combine showing you all how another group of guys did on their combine workouts and who showed out more then others. ENJOY!

Cam Newton Scandal: NCAA Ruling and SEC Commissioner Show Lack of Integrity

i have some additional footage and information about cam newtons situation with the media and scandal. from bleacherreport.com 

As most of you know, Cameron Newton, starting quarterback for Auburn, has been involved in a couple of scandals so far this year, the largest of which being the recruiting scandal involving him and his father.

It has been reported that Cameron Newton (or his father) petitioned payment from schools for the playing services of the starting quarterback.

The NCAA, in traditional fashion, conducted a slow, and ultimately inconclusive investigation that resulted in practically nothing. Cameron Newton was suspended for less than 24 hours before he was reinstated.

The excuse for all of this? That the recruiting violations were perpetrated by his father without the knowledge of Cameron.

How ridiculous does that seem to you? Because it sounds a bit off to me.

It seems difficult to believe that something like this could be happening while the actual player is completely ignorant of the processes.

While the entire details of the investigation are somewhat unclear, the excuse given by the NCAA seems to be a bit contrived, an excuse for them to keep the most exciting player in college football on the field. Makes sense, right? The more Cam Newton plays, the better the TV ratings and thus the better the revenue.

Someone had the guts to stand up and say something about it, though. A few days ago, ACC commissioner John Swofford came out to speak against this ruling, saying that it betrayed a double standard in the NCAA, and that it was only a slippery slope to a future breakdown of the rules.Sad, but possibly true.

Swofford has a point. What kind of message is the NCAA sending by ruling Cam Newton ineligible for less than 24 hours? This kind of action is exactly what they don't want to be taking in the midst of a crackdown on recruiting violations. This says that if you attract enough attention, you are untouchable.

So props to you, John Swofford. Thank you for saying what everyone else who doesn't go to Auburn wants to say.

But wait, the plot thickens!

Today, SEC commissioner Mike Slive came out today to say that the NCAA made the proper ruling on Cameron Newton.

Surprise...

As we all expected, Slive cited the fact that there is no definitive evidence that Cam Newton knew what was going on, and that Auburn was involved in a pay-to-play type scandal.

The unfortunate part about all of this? In all likelihood, Cam Newton will end up winning the Heisman. Should the NCAA choose to continue their investigation after this season, and come up with a full case, then another Heisman may end up being vacated. Oh yeah, and Auburn will forfeit their wins. Which could include the National Championship.

Cecil Newton denied the rumors entirely. Now he is guilty. What was he covering up?

Thousands of college football fans are face-palming right now.

Honestly, though, the ruling of the NCAA and the comments by SEC commissioner Mike Slive show a serious lack of integrity. They show that money plays, even in college, and that they will do what it takes to protect the mighty dollar. Even if the ruling ends up being correct, and Cam Newton is completely innocent, wouldn't it have sent the right message if the NCAA or Auburn University were to take some sort of action during the investigation process?

Sighs of frustration abound.

This is wrong. So wrong. If the NCAA wants to stop this sort of thing from happening, they need to get serious about this kind of stuff. If conferences are serious about keeping these kinds of scandals away from them, commissioners like Mike Slive need to publicly condemn these kinds of actions. If schools want to take a stand against recruiting violations from the ground up, they need to take disciplinary actions.

Keep this whole issue in mind, ladies and gentlemen, because something tells me that this isn't over. When Newton goes out for the NFL, expect the gears to start spinning on a renewed investigation