Cam Newton: Why Scandals Have Actually Made Him a Better NFL Prospect

It’s a question NFL teams spend vast amounts of money and manpower trying to answer: How will college players transition from the worshipful, idyllic world of college football into the cynical one of pro sports, where public scrutiny is a way of life?

In the case of Cam Newton—who, most experts believe, will enter the NFL draft sometime after tonight’s BCS Championship game—NFL teams can save themselves a few bucks.

Newton might be the Big Man on Campus, but his time as a college student has been far from idyllic.  In three years—particularly over the past three months—Newton has endured more adversity, embarrassment and media probing than all but a handful of pro athletes.

Through it all he has emerged stronger than ever.  He has faced he media maelstrom with the same level-headedness and grace with which he has stared down large second half deficits.  If the ability to weather adversity were a measurable quantity like a 40-yard dash time, Newton would have the equivalent of a 4.2.

The drumbeat of Newton coverage—in which he is nearly uniformly referred to as “controversial”—lends itself to a portrait of Newton as a high-maintenance, morally dubious guy.  But the gracious way he has handled himself throughout paints the opposite portrait.  A good quarterback maintains his poise even through some rough patches.  That’s exactly what Newton has done in his college career.

Whatever questions Newton’s past has raised about his maturity, his present seems to have answered them.  College kids can evolve in the span of two years.  That’s an important thing to remember for those who would assail Newton’s “character.”

Also important is that these “off-field” incidents themselves have been relatively mild on the spectrum of bad athlete behavior.  The murky incident involving the stolen laptop at the University of Florida—for which Newton has never admitted any wrongdoing, as is his right—seems forgivable, especially considering that he was 19.  And whatever happened with his father and Mississippi State says more about Newton’s father and the hypocritical nature of big time college sports than it does about Newton’s own morality.

At best, Newton isn’t guilty of anything.  At worst, he’s at fault for some minor offenses that seem largely the product of not having a lot of money.  That shouldn’t be a problem in the pros.

Newton’s rocky road through college also speaks well of him in a more concrete way: In the context of the draft, in which the ability of college quarterbacks ability to learn pro offenses is always an open question, here’s a guy who learned three new systems in three years.  And he has dominated in two of them.  Last year, he led tiny Blinn College to the junior college title.  Now he’s on the doorstep of leading Auburn to a more prestigious championship.

For any young player, transitioning from college to the pros is a major challenge.  But for Newton, it will also be a relief.