For all the hoopla that's descending at this very moment on Cam Newton and the Auburn football program, there's not even an officially acknowledged NCAA investigation in the works (that we know of). Piece together the timeline from the ESPN piece that kicked this all off, however, and reading between the lines is not difficult:
• Mississippi State alum John Bond reported contact from an old teammate, believed to be Kenny Rogers, to MSU athletic director Greg Byrne.
• MSU called the SEC.
• Bond met with an NCAA investigator and school officials.
• The NCAA's not talking:
"We do not comment on current, pending or potential investigations," said Stacey Osburn, the NCAA's associate director for media and public relations. Julie Roe Lach, the NCAA's new director of enforcement, said it is the association's policy to neither confirm nor deny an investigation.
• Neither is the SEC:
[SEC associate commissioner Greg Sankey] also would not directly comment on whether the league office considers this an ongoing issue or a closed case.
• And neither is the university:
"We have been made aware of the allegation. Unfortunately, we cannot comment at this time," Auburn assistant athletic director, media relations Kirk Sampson said. "However, Cam Newton is eligible to play football at Auburn."
• The NFL Players Association, however, is another story:
NFLPA spokesman Carl Francis told ESPN.com on Thursday that the organization is "in the process of investigating [Greengross and Rogers] as we speak for violations of our rules and regulations."
They know, is the point. Everybody knows, and has known since last summer, and now the question becomes whether Auburn's involved in this at all. Both schools claim to have been completely aboveboard in their actions, but if there's a real connection between Rogers and the Newton family, young Cameron could still find himself sidelined at the height of his game.