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Kenny Rogers, a former player for Mississippi State allegedly sent the text message, giving Bell the details of how Cam and his father wanted to be paid. They were to make a payment of $80,000 on the day of signing, $50,000 30 days after that, and another $50,000 30 days later.
Bell claims that Cecil was on a three way call with he and Rogers to discuss how the money would be transferred. He says that Cecil never asked for money directly. While the reports don't make any claims regarding the nature of Cecil's interaction with the others, they don't mention him objecting to conversations about giving him money.
I look forward to the day that multi-million dollar players like Cam Newton can have the same rights to compensation as the rest of America without having to do things under the table. The Cloak-and-Dagger nature of these financial transactions reminds us of slavery, sweat shops or prison, where it is also illegal for men and women to be fairly compensated for their hard work. I watched a basketball game the other day between two Division 1 schools. I noticed that every single player on the court was African American, with none of them being compensated with anything other than a scholarship, even though they were the ones entertaining the crowd. The crowd was predominantly white, since the average income level of members of the black community precludes our ability to afford tickets to watch our sons and daughters compete in sporting events. Also, the coaches were both white, with each of them earning salaries of at least a million dollars per year as a result of the labor of the athletes.
While one can't argue that there is deliberate racism in the scenario I've just described, we cannot deny the impact that historical racism, slavery and Jim Crow has had on creating the racially-segregated landscape of collegiate athletics. While those who benefit from the system can't be called patently racist, we must acknowledge that a person's decision to perpetuate and contribute to a system built on a foundation of racial oppression is an act by those who are choosing to remain inadvertently ignorant and socially destructive.
I presume that since Cam Newton chose to attend Auburn University, his school may have possibly been the highest bidder in the Cam Newton Sweepstakes. If Cam got money for his brilliant play on the field, then I congratulate him. There is no justice in supporting an unjust system, so the NCAA must be confronted.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here. 
Comments: (14)
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By: Rashad on 11/18/2010 1:53AM
Whoooaaaa Dr. Watkins!!!! You are totally off on this one. Comparing playing college football to Slavery, Sweat shops and Prison???? You've got to be kidding me, my brother. I played four years of football at Alabama State and at no time ever did I feel like a slave. I had friends that played for Alabama and Auburn and they were well pampered, trust me. You're an educated man so it surprises me that you're missing the point in this whole situation. Cam Newton's father was pimping him! There is no way in hell I would risk ruining my son's career and name, in order to gain a few bucks. I agree some athletes should be compensated more for their hard work in college athletics but for now the rules are the rules. What kind of example is Cecil Newton setting for his young son??? This is crazy. Cam is an awesome player. I love watching him play but a lot of these NCAA rules are to protect the players from predators that may take advantage of them. If it wasn't for my scholarship I wouldn't have had the opportunity to attend college. I'm 32 years old today and if it wasn't for my degree I don't know where I'd be right now. I'm grateful for the opportunity I had to be able to attend a school. From what I've read Cam doesn't even care about his academics. Stealing Laptops, cheating on tests and who knows what else he did to get kicked out of Florida. I think you're on the wrong side of the fence on this one. Choose your words carefully my brother, comparing someone like Cam Newton to slaves is very disrespectful to our ancestors who really were slaves. Words like Slavery and sweat shops shouldn't be thrown around so carelessly. That's just my opinion.
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By: hmnhui on 11/18/2010 7:50AM
Kenny Rogers, a former player for Mississippi State allegedly sent the text message, giving Bell the details of how Cam and his father wanted to be paid. They were to make a payment of $80,000 on the day of signing, $50,000 30 days after that, and another $50,000 30 days later..I am an Air Force and single at present .I need a woman who can love me back ..I also uploaded my hot photos on militaryloves.c om under the name of hoho212..It's the largest and best club for seeking Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Police Force, and the admirers of those who wear the uniform.I just hope you don't mind me being a soldier ...Please Check it out!I'm serious.
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By: K Mac on 11/18/2010 9:02AM
Nice to hear the POV of someone who's been there, done that!
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By: girlking on 11/18/2010 12:58PM
Rashad, I totally agree with you. Getting an education is priceless. I don't know much about Cam Newton's situation but what little bit I do know, you're right his father was pimping him and he needs to man up and take responsibility for this.
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By: Sunshine on 11/20/2010 2:58AM
Am I missing Dr. Watkins point that Black Super athletes draw thousands of Whites to their basketball games and millions of dollars in advertising but only get chump change with respect to the millions of dollars the White coaches get...who are not the one who bring in the $$$$$$.
Blacks are still financially illiterate. We really need to educate our people on the power of money and numbers. White people are very savvy financially. Black athletes are making coaches filthy rich and after college most of them DO NOT make NBA and return to poverty relative to the White coaches and families that they made rich...Maybe I have it all wrong...Help me out here.
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By: Rashad on 11/20/2010 1:36PM
@Sunshine, I think you are getting the point that Dr. Watkins is making but there are so many ways to look at this situation and there's a huge grey area. A report by ESPN's Outside the Lines showed that it costs a University between 50 to 60 thousand dollars a year to educate a college football player. That includes room, board and a very small Monthly stipend. Now the question to be answered is how much is an education worth in Dollars. Well that probably depends on the student. To me personally it's priceless and you can't put a dollar amount on it. 90% of these athletes will never play in the professional arena. Out of the 10% that do make it, a lot of them will only have a 5 year career on average. The point that you and Dr Watkins are both missing is that this is all voluntary. No one is forcing these kids to take these scholarships. If they feel like they're being treated as "SLAVES" or feel like they're working in "SWEAT SHOPS", then they can apply for admittance into the university and pay their own tuition through grants and loans just like 99% of the rest of the student body had to do. I had several players on my team that were Walk-On players. These players didn't even have a partial scholarship, meaning that basically they were paying the school to play ball. Dr. Watkins is making good points in this piece but I don't think it's as black and white, (pardon the pun) as he's making it out to be.
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By: Lee-Lee on 11/23/2010 9:43PM
I agree with you 100%, Rashad. The point of college is the education. Sports are extracurricular, which can possibly turn into a career for some players. Very few players. The way I see it, the college is paying the player for being on the team with a free education. I might run the football field, basketball court, etc for a school, but you best better believe I'd be hitting those books also! An injury can quickly take away dreams of professional play. But once you get that education, it's yours FOREVER.
The behavior allegedly exhibited by Cam and his father are indicative of the issues we have with our pro players today: no integrity and no discipline. Articles like this only help to fool them into believing what they do is justified. Wrong is wrong. As talented as he is, with some patience, Cam would be making the money he and his father desired soon enough.
So according to our reasoning, performing well at a sport that generates large crowds and revenue warrants the players being paid large amounts of money for it? Professional sports, yes. College sports down to t-ball? No.
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By: jamarcus on 11/18/2010 6:40AM
African Americans (AA) can quit wasting their time playing basketball. AA youngsters should realize that the odds of making it professional are astronomical against them. AAs should focus on education and other useful endeavors rather than on sports or entertainment. If AAs did this, they would not be exploited like Dr W thinks.
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By: Bob on 11/18/2010 7:45AM
If all the players are African American isnt that racism?
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By: K Mac on 11/18/2010 9:02AM
Dr. Boyce, with all due respect, getting a full ride at an accredited university isn't chump change. You of all people should be encouraging these young men to take advantage of the educational opportunities presented to them, IMO.
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