Sheridan To Identfy "Bag Man" In Newton/Auburn Deal

NCAA to speak to Danny Sheridan about Cam Newton 'bag man' report
Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 5:58 AM

By Randy Kennedy, AL.com

MOBILE, Alabama -- Mobile's Danny Sheridan has been contacted by the NCAA concerning information about the recruitment of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and expects to talk to a representative from the organization's investigation staff this week.

Sheridan was contacted through his attorney, Vince Kilborn, who said, "I can confirm that an NCAA representative called me Monday and asked to speak to my client about the whole Cam Newton matter."

Sheridan made waves on Paul Finebaum's radio show recently when he said that an NCAA source told him there was a known "bag man" who helped recruit Newton to Auburn.

"I let them know that if they wished to talk to me, I will talk to them on or off the record about subjects of mutual interest," Sheridan said of the NCAA. "I have no idea if the allegations against Auburn are true. I only know that what I reported was exactly what I was told."

Newton's father, Cecil Newton, has admitted trying to get money from Mississippi State in exchange for his son signing with the Bulldogs. The NCAA has never implicated or even confirmed that Auburn was a party in its investigation into Newton's recruitment.

But the NCAA continues to give signs that the Newton case has not been closed.

"We don't talk about investigations, but when they're closed, they're closed," NCAA president Mark Emmert said on the Dan Patrick Show radio show this week. "They will continue to look at anything they have available in any of these situations until they've reached a conclusion that there's nothing to discover in any of these cases."

Patrick responded by saying, "I can assume then, since I haven't heard that it's closed, that it's ongoing."

Emmert, who earlier in the interview talked about the ongoing scandal at Miami, laughed: "You can make assumptions. That's fine."

Sheridan, who is a football analyst and sets the betting odds for USA Today, said he has no desire to get any program in hot water.

"I don't want to see either Auburn or Alabama on probation," Sheridan said. "That's the last thing I want to see for one of the programs that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars to our state."