What is it they say about laughing last?
June 16, 2011 — Fallout from the long-running Cam Newton saga continues as multiple sources report punitive action being taken as a result of reporting on Newton’s recruitment. According to reliable sources it appears that if double secret sanctions are not already in place the governing body is closely monitoring the situation and could be considering a course of action which may include behavior modification.
Chuck and Chernoff of Atlanta’s 680 The Fan and Mike Leach of Sirius/XM’s College Sports Nation both reported today that one of the prime offenders in the Newton odyssey is currently under a monitoring policy as a result of reports that aired regarding Newton during the 2010 football season.
So who’s in trouble? Is it Cecil Newton, Cam’s father, the man pilloried from coast to coast due to his reported discussions with Mississippi State? Is Cam Newton himself under greater scrutiny? Is Mississippi State about to be tagged? Is the hammer swinging at Auburn?
Before the Auburn detractors wet their pants in spasms of unbridled joy, here’s a dash of ice cold water: ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad is the one feeling the lash.
It’s about time.
According to reliable sources (and we bet even Schad would acknowledge the delicious irony in that statement) ESPN is now keeping close watch over Schad due to the breathless, poorly sourced, highly predjudicial mud he flung at Newton and his family during his coverage of allegations against Auburn’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.
Several of Schad’s more sensational efforts failed to pass the most basic tests of credibility and he also jumped out on at least one completely unsubstantiated limb that snapped under the weight of truth.
The feeding frenzy that surrounded Newton and Auburn was much less an exercise in credible journalism than it was a chum-strewing tabloid free-for-all in which rumor, supposition, innuendo and falsehood masqueraded as fact. Schad was chief among the muckrakers and if sourced reports are accurate, he certainly deserves the shorter leash.
Schad’s “jump on the bandwagon” sensationalism in regard to Newton certainly isn’t the first time he’s been criticized for journalistic blundering, but this time sources say his employer took notice.
For all the other programs who might one day find themselves under Schad’s cloud of speculation, that’s a good thing.
Hopefully the World Wide Leader in Sports is finally taking the lead in integrity in sports journalism.
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Kaos is dead on with the lack of defamation suits you see in sports and entertainment in general. The threshold of proof is much higher with public figures and there’s another aspect of litigation that we all have to keep in mind. When you crank up the litigation machine, you start the Discovery process, which means you have to open up those closets where the skeletons reside.
Not saying this about Auburn or any school in particular. All big time programs have their little secrets that need to reamin just that. Auburn and Cam handled this whole mess exactly as they should have. They knew they were clean so they stayed the course and let the haters use all their energy trying to bring Auburn down and praying something would come out. It didn’t…and now the egg is slowly dripping on their collective faces.
Hey Schad….you keep lying on the Auburn Tigers and you could get claw marks on your ass!
I agree with AUCounsel. Stay back and let them argue among themselves. I certainly wouldn’t mind Miss St. having to answer if they attempted to pay to get Cam. ESPN is big brother. Don’t you remember how they loved Auburn until they had to choose for us to be in the championship game in 2004? Total turn around. I don’t like any of them anymore. Marionettes on strings. Wish Schad would be fired and talk. Then, let it come back on them.
Couldn’t dagiree more. Cam Newton loves football, unlike superchump Jamarcus Russell. He will be a pro-bowl caliber quarterback in the mold of Daunte Culpepper and if you solely look at off the field discressions, than you will be missing the big pitcture. Yes, he has made some glaring mistakes in his life, but who hasn’t? This young man has learned from and overcame these issues to win a national championship, deciding not to throw in the towel every time something comes up. Like your boy Tebow, he wins. Look at Vick, probably one of the worst guys in the NFL, and I would think killing dogs is worse than stealing a lap top. Yet Vick just won the Comeback Player of the Year award and came in second in the MVP voting to Brady. The NFL is a not a game only for good guys or else Congressman Heath Shuler, a true NFL QB bust after being a top pick, would have been a superstar. Except Cam for what he is, a solid and entertaining football player.
I hope Cam sues ESPN. They are a horrible sports news company! They do not check their own stories for truth and they maligned this young man horribly. I refuse to watch ESPN except if it is the only place that I can watch Auburn play! I hope we drop them soon!
If Joe Schad reported uncorroborated or unsourced info and damaged Cam’s reputation, he needs to be fired. Simple as that.
[...] have sources that say ESPN is closely monitoring reporter Joe Schad. Apparently, Schad has been reporting some things about Newton and his family that were untrue and now he has brought attention to himself and ESPN. I guess all those sources Schad always says he [...]
People, Cam doesn’t have time for lawsuits. He’s too busy with Steve Smith and others running a football camp for kids. Day two of the camp is spent teaching them how to fake a smile.
If Joe Schad is on probation, the next member of the press (if you want to call him that) that needs to go down is Brooks. I’m posting this link here because I couldn’t find an email link. Brooks is obviously insinuating something seedy here. This guy has been even more aggressive with his bashing than Thayer Evans. He needs to hear from NtY.
http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/auburn-payroll-tens-of-thousands-to-hostesses-29756#comments