Here's what we know:
* Original report said Newton's father solicited money. Chizik said they were baseless claims, even though it turned out it was accurate.
* Same report that said Newton solicited money, a fact that is now established, said Cam had an emotional phone conversation with MSU recruiters that the "Money was too good to pass up." While that has not been proven, that the same report was correct about the solicitation, it would seem there's some credibility. We now know that Mississippi St., according to published reports, did report the incident to the NCAA in January at that time.
* Chizik later responded to the allegations of solicitation and Newton's academic record as "pure garbage." But again, he was absolutely wrong about the solicitation not occurring, as we now know it did occur.
* The NCAA has not cleared Auburn. They stopped short of saying that Cam didn't know, Auburn didn't know or no money changed hands. What they said in so many words was that they couldn't prove it. It was the 'not proven' type of an acquittal, rather than a full not guilty.
Chizik's defensive, abrasive characterizations of the topic really do nothing to change the circumstances and established facts of the case. He was outspoken against the mere suggestion that Cecil Newton solicited money, as that was labeled baseless, and it turns out he was dead wrong (or not being truthful, but that really isn't an important distinction).
The original report was never discredited--you know, the one that was on the money about the solicitation. That one also suggested that the Newtons did get paid.
Since no one, not even the NCAA, has been able to determine that didn't happen, we're far from having a definitive conclusion. All we know is that it hasn't been proven. Auburn as an institution deserves the benefit of the doubt for now, but the Newtons absolutely do not. They solicited money to go to Auburn, and the report that broke that story said they got it. I'd say that ignoring that, since it was never discredited, is getting out ahead of the facts to say somehow that it was proven otherwise. Nothing was proven, at all. The NCAA even said they just didn't have evidence to prove it.