That's what this is. There's no other way to describe it. Even if the latest allegations against Cam Newton are true, they add up to a serious attempt at character assassination.

In 26 years in this business, I've never seen anything like it.

Less than a week after ESPN.com reported that someone who said he represented the Newton camp tried to sell his services to Mississippi State, FoxSports.com has reported that Newton had "three different instances of academic cheating at Florida and faced potential expulsion from the university."

The story bases this damaging allegation on "a source."

Even if true, Newton left Florida after the 2008 fall semester. He spent 2009 at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. He arrived at Auburn in January of 2010.

That's a lot of water under a lot of bridges in the interim.

So why is this latest story relevant in 2010?

Thayer Evans, the senior college football writer for FoxSports.com, who wrote this story, already had written an opinion piece that said the Newton story of redemption is "too good to be true." Perhaps, but only if he was a flawed young man who made serious mistakes during his two years in Gainesville and didn't learn from them or change as a result of them.

If that were true, why did Dan Mullen, who was Newton's position coach at Florida in 2007 and 2008, who should've known about these allegations at the time, still want to sign Newton last winter to play at Mississippi State?

Mullen must've seen some good in Newton beyond his ability to run the spread.

At Auburn, by all accounts, Newton has been more than the best player in college football. He's been a team leader and a solid citizen. You could make a strong case that the young man arrived at Auburn as a changed man.

Unless you wanted to insinuate that, despite his record-breaking season at Auburn and Florida's struggles at the quarterback position, the Gators are glad he's gone because he was, is and always will be a bad man.

Maybe Newton wasn't a saint when he started college. Maybe he got caught up in Urban Meyer's Florida football culture of players who scoff at the law and a head coach who enables them by slapping them on the wrist when they get caught.

The latest story says that Newton's first alleged instance of academic cheating at Florida occurred during his freshman year of 2007. Did Meyer take a strong stand at that time and suspend him?

There's no public record that he did. To the contrary, as the backup to Tim Tebow, Newton played in five games that season.

Then again, giving players extra chances to redeem themselves is the Meyer way.

Auburn should do today something that most schools don't do when one of their players is under attack, something that Auburn did Saturday after the Chattanooga game.

The school should put Newton at the podium at Gene Chizik's weekly press conference and let him answer questions. He may not be able to answer every question, but he should address these academic cheating allegations.

If they're true, he should admit it and tell the world the difference between Cam Newton in 2007-08 and 2010. If they're false, he should climb to the top of the football building and shout it from the rooftop.

Forget the SEC and BCS title chases. Something more important is at stake here. It's a young man's character and reputation.

Someone has chosen to drag Newton back in time. Only he can go back and close that chapter of his life before he can move on.