The NCAA has has ruled Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is eligible to compete after looking into his recruitment at Auburn and Mississippi State.
The NCAA's statement said:
"Auburn University football student-athlete Cam Newton is immediately eligible to compete, according to a decision today by the NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff. The NCAA concluded on Monday that a violation of amateurism rules occurred, therefore Auburn University declared the student-athlete ineligible yesterday for violations of NCAA amateurism rules"
There are no penalties against Auburn or Newton, and no wins are in jeopardy.
"We are pleased that the NCAA has agreed with our position that Cam Newton has been and continues to be eligible to play football at Auburn University," said Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs. "We appreciate the diligence and professionalism of the NCAA and its handling of this matter."
Auburn has limited the athletic access to Newton's father, Cecil Newton. Mississippi State disassociated itself from former player Kenny Rogers, who, with Cecil Newton, tried to "actively market" Cam Newton to Mississippi State.
The SEC said:
"The conduct of Cam Newton's father and the involved individual is unacceptable and has no place in the SEC or in intercollegiate athletics," said Mike Slive, Southeastern Conference Commissioner. "The actions taken by Auburn University and Mississippi State University make it clear this behavior will not be tolerated in the SEC."
Here are some details from Auburn:
When a school discovers an NCAA rules violation has occurred, it must declare the student-athlete ineligible and may request the student-athlete's eligibility be reinstated. Reinstatement decisions are made by the NCAA national office staff and can include conditions such as withholding from competition and repayment of extra benefits. Newton was reinstated without any conditions.
According to facts of the case agreed upon by Auburn University and the NCAA enforcement staff, the student-athlete's father and an owner of a scouting service worked together to actively market the student-athlete as a part of a pay-for-play scenario in return for Newton's commitment to attend college and play football. NCAA rules (Bylaw 12.3.3) do not allow individuals or entities to represent a prospective student-athlete for compensation to a school for an athletic scholarship.
In conjunction with the case, Auburn University has limited the access Newton's father has to the athletics program and Mississippi State has disassociated the involved individual.
The SEC said:
"Our members have established rules for a fair and equal recruitment of student-athletes, as well as to promote integrity in the recruiting process," said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs. "In determining how a violation impacts a student-athlete's eligibility, we must consider the young person's responsibility. Based on the information available to the reinstatement staff at this time, we do not have sufficient evidence that Cam Newton or anyone from Auburn was aware of this activity, which led to his reinstatement. From a student-athlete reinstatement perspective, Auburn University met its obligation under NCAA bylaw 14.11.1. Under this threshold, the student-athlete has not participated while ineligible."
During the reinstatement process, NCAA staff review each case on its own merits based on the specific facts. Staff decisions are made based on a number of factors including guidelines established by the Division I NCAA Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement, as well as any mitigating factors presented by the university.
Reinstatement decisions are independent of the NCAA enforcement process and typically are made once the facts of the student-athlete's involvement are determined. The reinstatement process is likely to conclude prior to the close of an investigation. It is NCAA policy not to comment on current, pending or potential investigations.
The NCAA began looking into Newton's recruitment at Mississippi State, and then Auburn, but has found nothing to make the quarterback ineligible to play for the Tigers. Auburn began an internal investigation in July and did not find any wrongdoing, either.
Newton has led Auburn to a 12-0 record and a No. 1 BCS ranking heading into Saturday's SEC Championship Game against South Carolina.
Newton has been lit up opponents, the SEC and the Auburn record books.
He leads the SEC in rushing and has accounted for 43 touchdowns, accounting for at least four touchdowns in a game seven times.
He's the first player in the SEC history to have thrown for more than 2,000 yards and to have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in SEC history.
He ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency.
He's been named the SEC's offensive player of the week six times.
