http://www.aarontorres-sports.com/CAM NEWTON INVESTIGATION: Why Keeping The Heisman Trophy From Him Would Be The Wrong Thing To Do
For days now, everyone has asked me for my take on Cam Newton. Did he take money? Didn’t he? What does it all mean for Auburn?
And I’ve hesitated in writing anything, because honestly, I don’t know. Nobody does. And although we live in a world where every writer needs an opinion on everything, that’s not how I operate. I’m not in the speculation and innuendo game, and I’m definitely not in the “finding people guilty until proven innocent†game either. I’ll leave that up to the grumpy old sportswriter at your local newspaper to take care of that for me.
That’s right, I’m still young, and I’m still dumb enough to believe that every athlete isn’t on the take, and every coach doesn’t cheat to get their wins. I’m probably naïve for thinking that, but whatever, let me be naïve. It’s better than trying to find the worst in everyone, right?
So with that, I’m not going to commentate on the Cam Newton investigation. I figure if Auburn has known about this for months and they’re not worried, why should I be? Especially since the allegations by Mississippi State don’t implicate Newton, his family or Auburn. The only party they do implicate is some low-level crook named Kenny Rogers, with a history of stretching the truth to try and make a buck. Not exactly the backbone a solid NCAA case is usually built on.
Beyond just the initial allegations though, the latest Cam Newton backlash came out Tuesday morning, when Thayer Evans of FoxSports.com reported that during Newton’s time at Florida, he was caught cheating on three separate occasions. Whether those allegations are true or not, and what is says about Florida’s honor code and the loose ship Urban Meyer might be running is another story for another day. At the same time, it just gives the “Anti-Cam,†movement more legs.
With the newest allegations out, people are taking an even stronger stance on Newton than before. On Tuesday, well-respected Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi piggy-backed an early Evans column, and said that with all the information coming to light, voters shouldn’t cast their ballots for Newton in this year’s Heisman Trophy race.
And that’s where I drew the line in the sand, and decided to write about Newton. Because the idea that an NCAA investigation and cheating allegations are enough to leave college football’s best player off the Heisman Trophy ballot are not only silly, but just the about the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. It’s time to write. And it’s time I shared my opinion.
Look, to a degree I see the point Bianchi and others are trying to make. The Heisman Trophy is supposed to be about honor. It’s supposed to be about all the virtues that college athletics should stand for. Bianchi even mentions that on the Heisman’s website, it says, “The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player, whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.â€
Well, with all due respect to Mr. Bianchi and the Heisman Trophy trust, “Integrity,†is a word that left college football’s vocabulary a long time ago.
It left when coaches started using stretch limos and private helicopters as “recruiting tools.†It left when schools started selling $60 replica jerseys in the campus bookstore. It left when television networks started scheduling Tuesday and Wednesday night games, which left these “student-athletes,†missing more class time than the typical freshman stoner. And of course integrity left college football when the NCAA OK’ed 22,000 different bowl games and spread them out over five weeks, all to make these schools a little bit more spending cash. Clearly, the guys in charge have no integrity. So why do we expect any from the players?
Staying with integrity card, I understand that nobody wants another Reggie Bush situation on their hands. If we found out in six months, or six years that Newton was cheating, and had to vacate yet another Heisman Trophy, it’d be bad for everyone. I get that. But nobody has a crystal ball. We don’t know what’s going to happen in six months, or six years, let alone six days. So again, I’ve got ask, how much integrity is being shown by throwing Newton under the bus before all the facts are out?
After all, what are we really talking about with Newton here? The only thing we know right now is that Newton was caught with a stolen laptop at Florida three years ago. Not even that he stole it. Just that it was stolen, and he was using it. That’s it. Everything else is just rumor, investigations and unnamed sources. Since coming Auburn, Newton has been nothing but a model citizen on and off the field. Where exactly are the integrity issues?
And speaking of integrity issues, the guy who is second on most people’s Heisman Trophy ballots right now is Oregon running back LaMichael James. The same LaMichael James that spent 10 days in jail after pleading guilty to harassment of an ex-girlfriend this summer. Now I’m not saying not that voters shouldn't select James if they believe he’s deserving, or that he shouldn’t have been given a second chance at Oregon. All I am saying is that if you’re not going to vote for Newton because of “integrity,†you better damn well not use that vote on James instead. Because honestly, who has less integrity? The guy accused of wrongdoing by the NCAA? Or the guy found guilty in a court of law?
And finally, while integrity is nice, ultimately what the Heisman Trophy is about is awarding college football’s top player in any given year. That’s it.
If I had a Heisman Trophy vote (Which honestly, I suspect I’m more deserving of than many of those who actually have one), my decision would be based on two things, and two things only.
The first criteria is, who is the most valuable player in college football? Not necessarily the best, but the guy who was most indispensible to his team. The one who would be hardest to replace if you took him off his team’s roster, and substituted him with some average, run of the mill guy.
Well under that criteria, there’s no doubt that in 2010, that person would be Cam Newton.
As much as I love watching James play at Oregon, in that offense, a lot of guys could put up similar numbers to what he is right now (maybe not top them, but put up similar ones). There are plenty of quarterbacks who could come close to Kellen Moore’s output at Boise. But nobody, and let me pause for effect...nobody… could do for Auburn what Newton’s done this year. Truthfully, I doubt anyone would even be close.
The second criteria I’d have with the Heisman vote would be this: If I were telling the “story,†of a specific college football season, which teams and players would I have to talk about to encompass that story?
For example, in 2007 Florida wasn’t the best team in the country, or even close (LSU won the title that year). But Tim Tebow was so much better than everyone else that he was a shoe-in Heisman Trophy winner. Even though he played for a four loss team, you couldn’t have told the story of the 2007 season without mentioning him. Same with Sam Bradford and his ridiculous 50 touchdown passes a year later at Oklahoma. That to me is what the Heisman Trophy is about.
Well this year, that guy is Newton. Whether Auburn ends up winning the National Championship or not is something we’ll find out in the coming weeks. But even if they don’t, there’s no way you’d talk about this season describing in detail what Newton's done this year. The TD runs. The big wins. Cam Newton is the story of this particular college football season.
And that’s where I’ll end this conversation.
I’m not saying that we should hand Newton the award now, because there’s still a lot of football to be played. He could struggle in the coming weeks. Somebody else could go bonkers and take the award from him. A lot of stuff is going to happen between now and when the final ballots are cast.
But at the same time, come the second weekend of December, I hope the voters do what’s right.
To anyone with a Heisman Trophy vote, here’s my final plea: Your vote isn’t about each individual’s own personal standard of ethics. Your vote isn’t about trying to decipher allegations from facts. It’s about trying to figure out who the best player in college football is. That’s all.
When the dust settles, if Cam Newton is the best player in college football, just give him the award.
It’s really that simple.
(Love the article? Hate it? Disagree with something Aaron said? Let him know by commenting below, or e-mailing him at ATorres00@gmail.com.
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