Where I commonly write about sports, in an uncommon way.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Cam Newton

Issue: Should Cam Newton's past transgressions affect the Heisman Trophy voting?

Short Answer: No.

Reasoning: Well, he has been in the news more than body scanners and TSA gropings lately, and since the Heisman Trophy will be awarded this Saturday, I figured he was a good place to start.

Cam Newton should win the Heisman Trophy this year by the largest margin ever.  He is Tyrelle Pryor on steriods (and by steriods, I mean he can read defenses and throw passes that are caught by his own receivers).  He is going up against Andrew Luck (who will be a great professional quarterback (Bengals?), Kellen Moore (never trust a lefty quarterback unless his name is Young or Esiason), and LaMichael James (the old, wise, "sportswriters" who vote, will never allow a sophomore to win it).  Who in their right mind could NOT vote Cam Newton as the best player in the country?  Stats: Passing - 188.16 (efficiency), 165-246-6 (completions-attempts-interceptions), 67.1 (completion %), 2589 (yards), 28 (TD); Rushing - 242 (attempts), 1409 (yards), 5.8 (per carry avg.), 20 (TD).*  That's 48 touchdowns.  It must have been hard for the Heisman committee to figure out who the other 3 invitees should be. 

So why am I writing this post?  Because there are sportswriters out there who have put in print, that they will not vote for Cam Newton due to his checkered past.  The "academic dishonesty", the "stolen laptop", and the "pay-for-play" scandal have called Cam's character into question.  I think the problem is that these sportswriters are too far removed from ages 18-22, to remember what it was like to be 18-22.  Although, to be honest, I don't remember that much about being 18-22 either, other than the fact that 1) I had a blast; and 2) I did some things that you will probably never read about in this blog.

I am not condoning what Cam Newton has done in the past by any means, but I can relate.  I had an episode in college that is the definition of "academic dishonesty," and I have had to explain that to more than one company/school/person in my life.  I wish it never happened.  But, I look back on the kid I was - someone who was relatively famous in the small-campus life of Georgia Tech; someone who thought he could get away with anything and everything because he was smarter than everyone else; someone who thought he was invincible; someone who, in part, believed he deserved special treatment - and I can't imagine the situation happening any differently, even if I had it to do over again today.  Society worships good athletes, and Cam Newton is the best athlete in our most beloved sport.  He needs to be held responsible for his actions, and he will, as his mistakes will follow him around for the rest of his life (mostly because they have been so widely reported).  But let us all withhold judgment, not Heisman votes, until we see if he actually learns from his mistakes.  That's one of the most important things you learn from college anyway.

P.S. I despise the SEC...go Ducks!




* Auburn Tigers

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