Isn't it funny how if you start winning, you make everyone forget about how bad you actually may be? Kobe Bryant would be the case in point in my book. But, Cam Newton is taking over for Kobe in that category. Previously surrounded by controversy, Newton is now the golden boy of football. He won the Heisman, won the National Championship, and has decided to enter the NFL draft. It's such a perfect story, right?
I'm driving into work today, and the Dan Patrick Show has a poll question of, "Who is more marketable: Tim Tebow or Cam Newton?" They start talking about Cam Newton's bright personality, and how much of an upstanding figure he is. "Every NFL GM and head coach would want this great presence on their team." Really? Why does this always happen? Accusations fly, the accused starts winning, and all is forgotten? Boy, I bet Brett Favre wishes he could have started winning after this whole cell donging/sexual harassment stuff started coming out (by the way, his baby sister just got busted for running a meth lab out of her condo, just to add to how proud Mr. And Mrs. Favre must feel).
Now, we're told to swallow the idea that Cam Newton has done all he can do to prove himself as a college football player (except, of course, earn a diploma). This is the reason, we are told, that he is moving onto the NFL. Let's think about this a little more rationally, shall we.
Cam's story started at Florida. After winning the #2 spot behind Tim Tebow as a true freshman, he started in the season opener against Hawaii his sophomore year. He was injured in that game, and decided to red shirt. In November of 2008, Newton was arrested for stealing a laptop from another UF student, a laptop that was found in his possession. The charges were dropped, not because he wasn't guilty, but because he completed a court diversion program to help him avoid facing jail time. He then decided to withdraw from Florida because he was told that if he didn't, he would be expelled. He wasn't going to be expelled for stealing the laptop, rather, he had been caught cheating three separate times while at Florida. Things were getting hot, and he fled.
Newton retreated to Blinn Junior College in Texas, and won the JuCo National Championship in his first year. Taking a step back helped take the heat off of his problems at Florida, but the recruiting process that eventually made him a Tiger would again show his true colors. During the season, it came out that Cam's dad was requesting schools to pay him a substantial sum of money to get Cam to committ. Mississippi State was asked to give the Newton family "anywhere between $100,000 and $180,000 to get Cam to play for them." MSU declined to pay the sum, and Cam went off to Auburn. The NCAA delved into an investigation, and on December 1 ruled that there was wrongdoing and declared Cam ineligable. However, the Tigers appealed the ruling, and the NCAA reversed their decision just in time for Newton to play in the SEC Championship game. They, all of the sudden, decided their wasn't enough evidence to bust him.
Interesting decision to say the least. So, did Auburn hand out the cash that MSU was unwilling to pony up? Well, evidence would tend to make you think that they did. Word on the street is that the money Auburn paid the Newton family was funneled through their local church to try and keep investigators guessing. In 2009, the Newton's church was facing demolition due to not being able to pay their bills. There was no hope. Then, just after Newton had declared for Auburn, the church suddenly had a large influx of money and began renovations (kind of like a messed up Goonies, if you will). The lead on the project? Cam Newton's father, who was quoted at a city council meeting saying, "Our church now has enough money on hand to settle all of our debts and continue with renovations."
Now, I will be the first to admit that none of this is proven (except for the stolen laptops and cheating three times), but I would like to point out that Cam's depature to the NFL suggests that the truth may be coming down soon. Seeing Reggie Bush escape punishment for all his violations by hiding out in New Orleans may have helped push Cam in the direction of leaving. I mean, he ditched Florida when the truth about his actions and character started coming out. Why wouldn't we think he's doing the same thing right now? The sad thing is that we may see an unfair situation similar to what we've seen at USC. Current Auburn players, new recruits, and loyal fans will all pay the price for the crimes of the Newtons, while Cam goes off to make millions with (insert crappy NFL team here), and never has to face any just judgment. It's sad. And, it's sad how transparent it all is.
This is the reason most college football fans were kind of hoping Oregon would have won the Nationa Championship. Not because we love the Ducks, but because we're all tired of seeing our beloved sport fall to pieces because of a few bad eggs.
Good luck in the bigs, Cam. Just remember, the salad fork is on the right, and if you don't own something, you're not allowed to just take it. I guess if you get caught again, you could always flee to the UFL.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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