NCAA finds no major violations in AU program

The NCAA concluded Tuesday what Gene Chizik said he’s known for more than a year.

 After 13 months, the NCAA has closed its investigation into the Auburn football program and found no major violations, the organization said in a letter sent to Athletic Director Jay Jacobs on Tuesday, which was released Wednesday.

 “I’m glad that the NCAA made a statement that concluded the investigation,” Chizik said. “I’ve said many times that we haven’t done anything wrong, so quite frankly, I’ve moved on a long time ago.

 “Anybody that had any questions, now you can put that to bed.”

The NCAA conducted "more than 80 interviews," the letter said, involving "a number of allegations regarding the football program's compliance with NCAA legislation."

Those allegations included, but were not limited to, the pay-for-play allegations surrounding former quarterback  Cam Newton  and the claims made by former players  Stanley McClover , Raven Gray ,  Chaz Ramsey  and  Troy Reddick  on a March episode of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel."

 "We appreciate the NCAA and thank them for their professionalism and thoroughness during this exhaustive investigation," Jacobs said in a statement. "We are pleased to put this matter behind us."

 The NCAA letter said the organization conducted "over 50 interviews" in the Newton matter, which involved allegations that the current Carolina Panthers quarterback's father,  Cecil , was seeking payment for his son's services as he was being recruited out of Blinn (Texas) College in 2009.

 Further, the NCAA said it reviewed documents such as bank records, IRS documents, and telephone and e-mail records.

 The NCAA found that beyond the claims made in Auburn’s self-report from last November -- which concluded Cecil sought to market Cam for profit, but neither the quarterback nor Auburn knew about it -- "the enforcement staff has not substantiated any other claims involving Mr. Newton."

 "I could have told you that," Newton told the Charlotte Observer after the Panthers' practice Wednesday.

 Newton declined to comment further, saying, "Let's let old wounds (alone)."

 Chizik said he spoke with Newton “haphazardly” Wednesday night, but the coach said the NCAA decision did not come up.

 He also said he did not address the NCAA’s release with the team.

  “I feel really, really good at night when I go to sleep about the way we run this program and we’ll continue to run it the right way,” Chizik said. “I can’t say it enough. My one focus is winning football games right now.”

 Gray, McClover, Ramsey and Reddick appeared on a March episode of HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" and claimed they received impermissible benefits during their recruitment and/or playing time at Auburn, including money from boosters.

 In its letter, the NCAA said it interviewed Gray and his family -- among others -- and found his allegations "were not substantiated, and in some cases were disputed by others."

 The NCAA said McClover, Ramsey and Reddick "refused to cooperate," even though investigators made "several attempts to interview" them.

 The letter concluded each case with a reminder that if any additional information becomes available in the future, "the enforcement staff will review that information to determine whether further investigation is necessary."

 "Any allegations of major rules violations must meet a burden of proof, which is a higher standard than rampant public speculation online and in the media," the NCAA said. "The allegations must be based on credible and persuasive information and includes a good-faith belief that the Committee on Infractions could make a finding."

Auburn said it spent $183,667 in attorney fees for the Newton case and $82,463 for the other investigation.

Chizik said he was happy that the NCAA released its findings and hasn’t concerned himself with how this saga has been played in the media. 

“People are going to report, say and speculate,” Chizik said. “I think that’s 200 years old. But I can’t entertain the idea of telling people how to interpret things and how to report it.

“Obviously, for anybody who is under this same set of circumstances, the quicker the better. I appreciate the NCAA coming out and making the statement that they have concluded the investigation. ”