Heisman Trophy 2010: Why Cam Newton Investigation Forever Taints His Heisman Win
Heisman Trophy 2010 ceremonies are supposed to be a wondrous celebration of an amateur athlete and his accomplishments as a collegiate football player. But something smells foul at this year's ceremonies. For once it was not the stench boiling up from the Manhattan sewers. It was well within the Best Buy theater in Times Square where the event took place.
There is no argument from me that Cam Newton is the best football player in the nation. There is no denying his effort and talent. But the recent pay-for-play scandal forever colors his achievement in a negative light.
What could have been a celebration of one man's triumph will be forever known as the season that Cam Newton was investigated. Here are the ramifications.
10. Andrew Luck
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As investigation talk about Cam Newton heats up, fans are left to look to runner-up Andrew Luck for a vision of Heisman potential.
The more that Andrew Luck succeeds in his NFL endeavours the more we the fans are left to wonder whether Luck was given a fair fight. We can only assume that Luck's tenure at Stanford has been on the straight and narrow. With Newton facing controversy, we are left to compare the two players.
While Newton bests Luck in most categories, the pending investigation brings Andrew Luck up a notch in the court of public opinion.
9. Reggie Bush
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For the next few years, college and pro football fans alike will be waiting for Cam Newton to become the latest star to get his Heisman Trophy rescinded.
Earlier this season, Reggie Bush was found to have violated NCAA sanctions by taking money from an agent while playing for USC. His trophy that he won in 2005 was negated as the NCAA stated that he was retroactively ineligible.
The feeling that at any time this could happen to Newton will be fresh in our minds. This will be especially difficult for him to shake early on in his NFL career.
8. His Father
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The sad truth is whenever we now see Cecil Newton with his son Cameron, we will be reminded of the pay-for-play scandal he was a party to. So far, the NCAA has unearthed that Cam Newton's father, Cecil, was the family's lone conspirator in contacting an agent to procure money for his son's services.
Cecil Newton was in contact with a former Mississippi State player, Kenny Rogers. The two attempted to extract cash from Mississippi State if Newton agreed to play for their school.
The scandal is now tied to the father, and any time he is in the room, controversy will follow. It is the main reason he decided to not attend Saturday's Heisman festivities.
"So that my son Cam Newton can receive all the honors and congratulations that he has worked so hard to accomplish without distraction, I have decided not to be in attendance at the ceremony as it will perhaps rob Cam and the event of a sacred moment," his father said.
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7. Payment
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There may always be a lingering feeling that Auburn could have indeed payed for Cam Newton to play for their Tigers football program. This would go against every fiber of collegiate sports. But more than that, it would disregard those players who played without the benefit of a massive payout.
Whether we like it or not, many collegiate athletes struggle to get by. They have no means to make money outside jobs that they would get outside of classwork and practice. Even then the NCAA limits how much they can work for.
So to have the peace of mind to know that your financial worries are behind you is a big plus on the field. Newton who is already the most gifted athlete would be playing with an advantage. College football should be an even playing field.
6. Heisman Trust Mission Statement
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Within their mission statement, the Heisman Trust states, "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The Heisman Trophy Trust ensures the continuation and integrity of this award."
Violating an NCAA regulation would counter what the Heisman Trust has tried so hard to hard to maintain. If found to be true, the allegations of payment would destroy Newton's image as a Heisman winner.
5. Time Frame of Investigation
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Reggie Bush won his award in 2005. He was stripped in 2010. The NCAA has a knack for sticking with an investigation until it has a mountain of evidence. There is no law against them calling out Cam Newton five, 10, even 15 years from now.
The investigation is assumed to be ongoing. You never know what the NCAA will find or whether they have given up their chase. So having a forever-pending NCAA case against you greatly diminishes your triumphs in college.
4. We Are Shortsighted
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The American people cannot retain too much information. We as an information-consuming public rely on the most lurid of details to cling to.
We don't know Reggie Bush as a versatile back who completes the Saints running attack. Most people know him as the guy who dated Kim Kardashian and took money in college. Not many can name off the amount of majors Tiger Woods has won, but they can name off a few of his adulterous indiscretions.
The point is Cam Newton now has a tasty little asterisk by his name. Now whenever a lackluster fan sees him on television, he or she will recall that he was part of a scandal and not a title run.
3. Questions
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Just as the NCAA will forever be on Cam Newton's heels, so will our questions. It is human to wonder. We can't help but speculate and gossip. What the most recent discussions of Newton and his win have done is open Pandora's box.
Now that the man has won, we question. The winning is the catalyst for our harsh questions about his legitimacy as an amateur athlete. Now most of the nation will wonder about Cam Newton's involvement long after his playing days are over. Our questioning of public figures has a way of looming for quite some time.
2. Personally
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The current investigation has to personally taint Cam Newton's feelings on this magical season of his. No matter what he says to the media about the constant pay-for-play allegations, there has to be some amount of pain.
It must have been Cameron's dream to one day stand in a room in New York City as he is recognized as the best football player in the nation. There is not much that can degrade that dream's fulfillment. Unless of course your father is not there.
He told ESPN on his victorious night, "I'd be sitting up here lying to you if I didn't say it hurt...This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I love my father. He gave me words of encouragement before I came up here. I know he's with me in spirit."
His once-in-a-lifetime memory will always have the thought that his father was absent attached to it.
1. Legacy
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This last issue is entirely up to Cam Newton. If the Heisman Trophy is the last stop on his already fantastic football career, it will be riddled with questions and allegations. But he can trump the negativity. The only thing the American public loves more than juicy gossip is a winner.
For every victory that Newton shows us, we are forced to accept him as a winner. For every touchdown, we are encouraged to celebrate. Newton's legacy is largely in his hands. The Heisman will be tainted if this is his last hurrah.
But we can all assume that it is not. We may rest easy knowing that this young man has a lot of football games to win. In doing so, he will leave this mess well behind him.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
