Eleven Warriors

Amazing.  Cam Newton gets gifts showered on him all year long from a "Secret Santa" and no comments here.  Meanwhile, a lame rumor about tats generates a panic on the site. 

Interesting that Auburn has this program in place.  According to the article Cam's Secret Santa goes so far as having alums and boosters give him the cash bearing envelopes during the year.  Makes you wonder if the envelopes get padded even more as they pass through over eager supporters' hands.  And, if it is commonplace for an Auburn alum/booster to slip cash filled envelopes to the players what does that say about the program? 

This is why the SEC is so despised throughout the country.  Most leagues would jump all over a report like this and stop the activity.  Even if it is completely legit, it looks and smells like a POS violation. 

Consider this - just who is Cam's Secret Santa who can afford to lavish him with gifts and cash throughout the year?  Another scholly player who can barely get by on the NCAA limit of tuition and board?  Or maybe it is one of the other players who garnered some of the big cash floating around that landed Cam in the first place (if you place any credibility on "the cash was just too much" statement, there has to have been an offer in excess of 180K).  Or, maybe it is some rich booster's son who walked on and was made part of the team because of the fringe benefits that came with him. 

This one story has enough to shut down a program with the NCAA death penalty.  Any Head Coach who would allow such a year round "Secret Santa" program is certainly guilty of "lack of institutional control".  Maybe there is some truth to the NCAA turning the other cheek to keep TCU out of the BCS game.