Newton's father gives rare interview, discusses NCAA probe

An NCAA investigation into his father's alleged improper conduct hung over Cam Newton during the NFL draft process, but it didn't stop the Carolina Panthers from taking the quarterback No. 1 overall.

And, Cecil Newton said, it won't define him either. In fact, he's confident the NCAA's probe won't turn up anything past last year's ruling that he asked Mississippi State for a six-figure payment for his son's services in 2009.

"We really just want it to calm down, let the smoke settle, let the dust settle," Newton told The Charlotte Observer on Thursday. "The truth is out there. They have it in their files."

Asked if he requested money from Auburn, the school his son eventually attended, Newton said: "According to what the NCAA findings are, that's what we're going with."

Newton gave the rare interview in Bradenton, Fla., where he watched Cam work out in preparation for his first NFL season. Cam was cleared by the NCAA, which ruled he didn't know about his father's actions, and kept playing, leading Auburn to the BCS national championship last season.

Now the Newtons are waiting for the lingering NFL lockout to end so Cam can sign a contract that should be lucrative but not worth as much as past No. 1 deals. That's because the next collective bargaining agreement is expected to include a rookie wage scale that will prevent deals like the $50 million guaranteed that top pick Sam Bradford received from the St. Louis Rams last year.

"I just want Cam to get out here, get on board with his team, do the right things on and off the field, and the rest will take care of itself," Cecil Newton said. "He's played for so long for free that anything we make, man, is a blessing."

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Newton's QB coach expects to work with NFL-minded Pryor

What could Terrelle Pryor have in common with Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers?

Pryor might be the latest protégé of quarterbacks coach George Whitfield, the Canton Repository reported Sunday.

Ex-Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor (above) likely will turn to the same man whom Cam Newton did to help him prepare for the NFL. (Ben Liebenberg/NFL.com)

Whitfield said he's close to being hired to tutor Pryor as the former Ohio State quarterback prepares for the NFL Supplemental Draft, whenever that might be, according to the Repository.

"It is my understanding I am heading (to Miami)," said Whitfield, who's wrapping up a 2,000-mile bus tour of visits with 40 quarterbacks. "I look forward to working with him. From a kid that grew up in Ohio and knows how important the Buckeyes are and my relationship with (former Ohio State) coach (Jim) Tressel and his relationship with coach Tressel ... on top of the fact he's talented and a big competitor. It's a challenge to me. I know Terrelle wants to be as good as he can be."

Whitfield disagrees with the assessment of some analysts that Pryor's best position in the NFL might be tight end.

"I almost jumped off the couch (during the NFL draft) when I heard that," Whitfield said. "They put in all their chips against him and made a definitive statement about a guy who is 31-4 at one of the more premier college programs in America."

Whitfield already has a blueprint for Pryor.

"The big thing is I've got to get him more familiar with his operation in the pocket in terms of footwork and throwing from the pocket," Whitfield said. "Of the guys I've worked with, Pryor has played more under center than any of them. It's not that he’s deficient in that area, but it's what the NFL wants. The league puts a premium on operation from the cockpit, and we'll work on that."

Whitfield coached Newton before and since his selection as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Whitfield also worked with Roethlisberger while the Pittsburgh Steeler sat out his four-game suspension at the start of the 2010 season. And Whitfield worked with Rivers in 2007 while serving as an intern on Cam Cameron's Chargers offensive staff.

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