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[Townhallsavoy]

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/04/auburns_heisman_statues_are_to.html

Auburn's Heisman statues are too much, and Cam Newton's is far too soonBIRMINGHAM, Alabama - There are so many things wrong with Auburn's decision to put up statues of its three Heisman winners.

Where to begin?

How about the timing?

Three days before Alabama, in keeping with its tradition of honoring its national championship coaches, unveils its statue of Nick Saban, Auburn AD Jay Jacobs announced that statues of Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson and Cam Newton are in production.

"The iconic statues will be placed on the east side of Jordan-Hare Stadium during the 2011-2012 academic year," Jacobs wrote Wednesday in his latest letter to Auburn supporters.

This is the same AD who dismissed the notion that Auburn would copy-cat Alabama by expanding Jordan-Hare Stadium.

"We're not going to increase our capacity just because someone else is increasing their capacity," Jacobs told me last August. "We're going to do what's best for us."

No doubt Auburn would say it's not building statues of its legendary players - and adding a bust of former coach John Heisman - because Alabama has built statues of its legendary coaches. But consider the coincidence.

Alabama won the BCS Championship in January 2010, and afterward AD Mal Moore confirmed that the school would add a Saban statue to the Walk of Champions to join those of Wallace Wade, Frank Thomas, Paul Bryant and Gene Stallings.

According to Jacobs' letter Wednesday, planning and production of Auburn's Heisman statues of Sullivan and Jackson began that spring, and "little did we know that we would need to add a third statue so soon."

About that third statue.

Building a statue of any living human being, even one who has never been accused of anything more serious than jaywalking, is a risky endeavor. Building a statue of a Heisman winner who's barely left campus is even riskier. See disgraced and dethroned 2005 Heisman winner Reggie Bush. He never got a statue. Lucky for the statue.

Building a statue of Newton at this point borders on reckless. Isn't it wildly premature to start work on that tribute before the NCAA investigation into his recruitment is closed?

Auburn coaches and officials can feel as confident as they like that no one employed by the school broke any rules in signing him. They can offer as evidence, as one did to me, that Gene Chizik had to be persuaded to offer Newton a scholarship. But can those same coaches and officials be just as confident that no supporter or booster broke any rules to help get Newton to Auburn?

This is a school that just watched four of its former players go on national television on HBO and tell the world that they received cash from supporters or boosters to sign with Auburn, while they were at Auburn or both.

At least one of those former players, Stanley McClover, has said that he's talked to the NCAA. Another one, Chaz Ramsey, told my colleague Jon Solomon that he plans to talk to the NCAA next week.

McClover last played at Auburn during the 2005 season. When he left, he was an "iconic" figure of a sort for his sacks against Brodie Croyle in the 2005 Iron Bowl. There's a famous painting of McClover standing over a fallen Croyle that no doubt graced the walls of some Auburn fans in the past six years.

How many of those paintings have come down since McClover spoke to HBO? There's a moral there.

Newton may have done nothing wrong to sign with Auburn or during his one year there. Or the NCAA may never prove it if he or his family did cross the line. He may have put together the single greatest individual season in college football history, winning the Heisman and leading the Tigers to the national title.

But does he deserve a statue? Does any living person deserve a statue for being a great football player or a great football coach? I would argue no, as I did when Alabama announced its Saban statue.

"Honoring our former greats is an important part of our tradition at Auburn," Jacobs wrote in Wednesday's letter.

In a state that comes up short in education, child care and so many other areas that really matter, don't we honor football players and coaches enough? How much is too much?

Thanks to details Jacobs provided, we now have a measure. It's a bronze likeness 1 ½ times life-size that weighs about 1,900 pounds.

That's too much.

And, in the case of Newton, far too soon.


Got something to say about Kevin's column? Drop a civil comment below, or write him at kscarbinsky@bhamnews.com.

[djsimp]

What is Auburn thinking, I mean we're suppose to wait till its ok with bama before we build any statues. The timing is only right when everyone else approves. The almighty Saban statue is about to be perched at the mountain top. Now Auburn has gone and done this, the bammers will have even less time to bask in the shadows of the Saban shrine without some pesky Auburn stunt. 

[Buzz Killington]

For any of you that didn't believe the state media "conspiracy theories" before...how about now?

[Townhallsavoy]

That was seriously one of the dumbest articles I've ever read.  I'm almost ashamed I posted it here. 

[GH2001]

For any of you that didn't believe the state media "conspiracy theories" before...how about now?

I need to correct you there Buzz. Its no conspiracy theory. Its just a conspiracy now - wide open and in the public. Seems that they aren't trying to hide it anymore.

[AUChizad]

Wonder if Scarbinski realizes Saban and Stallings both have had games vacated at Alabama...

Cam has brought nothing but a Heisman and National Championship to Auburn.

[GH2001]

Wonder if Scarbinski realizes Saban and Stallings both have had games vacated at Alabama...

Cam has brought nothing but a Heisman and National Championship to Auburn.

As to this day, nothing has ever been proven that the guy has done anything wrong. In fact, before he became a household name, the dude was hanging out and reading to kids in his spare time. He also helped the homeless in Atlanta.  What a shit head he is.

[dallaswareagle]

As to this day, nothing has ever been proven that the guy has done anything wrong. In fact, before he became a household name, the dude was hanging out and reading to kids in his spare time. He also helped the homeless in Atlanta.  What a Expensive  shit head he is.

FTFY

[Jumbo]

Wonder if Scarbinski realizes Saban and Stallings both have had games vacated at Alabama...

Cam has brought nothing but a Heisman and National Championship to Auburn.

Great point, he would never mess up a good story with facts.

[Kaos]

Okay, step back and look at it from Scarbinsky's side. 

When they announced the Saban statue, he was one of the few in the media willing to say: "Oh holy shit.  Really?  Yeah.  This is a bad idea." 


Whether he succeeds or not, he at least thinks in his mind that he's a fair person.  If he says putting one up for a living coach is a bad idea he feels he has no choice to take the same stance here. 

Where I disagree is with the fact that Saban is still AT Alabama.  Cam's not still at AU.  His job at AU is done.
If Cam had come back for another season,  I'd be pretty aghast at putting a statue up before he left.  Maybe unveil it at the A-Day following his departure or something, but doing that for an active player would not make me happy.


If Saban were about to retire or were a historical icon (Bobby Bowden) it might be okay.  But a statue of a guy who is in his fourth season, who has shown a penchant for petulant, self-destructive moves, who has NEVER stayed anywhere more than five years?  Who knows how his tenure will end?  What if he causes Bama to get the death penalty before he leaves?  What if he gets pissed off and takes the HC job at Tennessee?  What if AU hires him as a defensive coordinator (we wouldn't have his tyrannical ass as HC)?  What if he gets caught goat-fucking Dre Kirkpatrick in the back of a Charger?  What if he pulls a gun and murders Les Miles at midfield during warmups? 

I understand Alabama's sick need to memorialize NCs.  It's all they have.  And even that's fake.  But that's their god.  Even if Saban wolverine fucked Marquise Maze on the hood of a Camaro and put the video of it on YouTube, maybe they still want to put his statue up.  But as long as he's still there, it just seems like a bad idea. 

Cam?  He's done.  Anything he does from here on out is not really relevant to what he did at AU.  And even if they later prove that he is a robot made from cheetah, tiger and eagle sinews, even if Heisman decides that he was simply too good to win the trophy and it wasn't fair to the midget or the inbred kid who were also finalists, they can't take away the fact that he won it.  Ever.  Statue?  Well, if you're going to do them (and I'm not so much in favor of it as a general rule, there should be one of Shug Jordan and there should be ones of Rocker, Zeke, Carlos and Nick, too, if you're going to go that route) then yeah.  Cam won the award.  Up he goes. 

[Townhallsavoy]

Okay, step back and look at it from Scarbinsky's side. 

When they announced the Saban statue, he was one of the few in the media willing to say: "Oh holy shit.  Really?  Yeah.  This is a bad idea." 


Whether he succeeds or not, he at least thinks in his mind that he's a fair person.  If he says putting one up for a living coach is a bad idea he feels he has no choice to take the same stance here. 

Screw Scarbinsky's side.  He didn't say that.  He said it's bad timing because Alabama wanted to do it first.  He said it's bad timing because Cam could very well lose the Heisman.  It's the same talking points from homerific bammers. 

Now, if he had said, "Another Case of Statue-Worship" and then wrote about how both Alabama and Auburn are stupid for erecting statues, then fine.  But that's not what his latest article is about.

[Kaos]

Screw Scarbinsky's side.  He didn't say that.  He said it's bad timing because Alabama wanted to do it first.  He said it's bad timing because Cam could very well lose the Heisman.  It's the same talking points from homerific bammers. 

Now, if he had said, "Another Case of Statue-Worship" and then wrote about how both Alabama and Auburn are stupid for erecting statues, then fine.  But that's not what his latest article is about.

Meh. 

He argued one side with the Saban statue when it was announced and used a different take to decry this one.  Still makes the point that it's stupid to erect statues of living people.

He's got to pander.  He's pandered to them twice.  He'll flip the script and pander to us a couple of times soon. 

[AWK]

Scarbinsky is gay...literally.

[The Prowler]

So, SPuat puts up a statue of Coach sabbin, then God throws three maybe four Tornados at Tuscaloosa.

[djsimp]

So, SPuat puts up a statue of Coach sabbin, then God throws three maybe four Tornados at Tuscaloosa.

They would blame it on James Spann.

[jmar]

I like Scarb because he is a "sports writer." He doesn't pretend to be a personality like Finebaum. They are actually of two different genres of the media. Finebaum can't write a lick and Scarb doesn't have a show. He has probably drawn countless death threats for calling out the Turds when he thinks it's warranted. He has defended Auburn in the past, and he will do so again. He slights those bastards when no one else will, other than someone obviously bent toward Auburn.

I don't think he cares to yuck it up with the Bammers and today is about as bad a slight as you will ever hear from him concerning Auburn. And if this is as bad as it gets...I mean he has to pander some. It's just my opinion, but I think the guy is a potential friend and asset for Auburn should things turn too unjust. No one hems this guy up and he is basically impartial,  he's sensible and honest, doesn't drop names, make retractions or spew unfounded rumors. Scarbinsky just isn't like them, he's indifferent.   

[djsimp]

I somewhat agree with you jmar but I tend to lean a little more towards his motivation being sales and he could give too shits about Auburn or Alabama. He in some rights reminds me of F'baum but only remains in print form.