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Another Example of Peter King being a horrible person.(Fugged Cam Newton good)

Kurb

By Kurb,
in Carolina Panthers

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Kurb

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I really don't think context is the issue, but you asked for it, so here it is. A few of you, some angrily, have asked for the story behind the tweet that launched a thousand reactions the other day -- this stand-alone quote from Cam Newton: "I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon.''

I'll explain.

A publicist for Under Armour, the outfitter that signed Newton to an endorsement contract, called me to say the company had Newton available to speak to four members of the media for 15 minutes each. Since I was going to write about Newton at the combine (I didn't know what exactly, and I didn't know if it would be for the magazine or for this column), I said yes. And so I spent 15 minutes on the phone with Newton Tuesday.

I was first in the batting order; I assume three others followed me for 15 minutes each. Newton talked about his work with quarterback coach Whitfield and his combine preparation, some of which I detailed above. After about 12 or 13 minutes, I asked him about his deal with Under Armour; I don't remember my exact question, but it was something about what he expected the deal to do for him. And he said one of the things he wanted to stress was that he saw himself not only as a football player, but also an entertainer and icon.

I had thought all along that I wouldn't use anything from our conversation until this week, after I had seen him at the combine and, hopefully, got to spend a little more time with him. When we got off the phone, I began to think about what he'd said. I knew it would be something that would raise eyebrows among NFL teams, who like their prospects to be single-minded, not entering the league thinking about anything except being the best player they can be. I thought if anyone else in the lineup asked him about the Under Armour deal, he'd probably say the same "entertainer and icon'' thing. I didn't want to make a news story out of it, but I did want to get it out that he'd told me this, so I sent it out to my 510,000 followers on Twitter.

Reaction was swift, and negative. One of his representatives called the next day to tell me, basically, that I'd sabotaged Newton just before the combine, and it was going to damage him, and if I'd written this as part of a larger story with context, no one would have seen the quote as very troublesome. I told him you're kidding yourself; if this were in a long story about combine prep and the deal with Under Armour, the media at large would have plucked out the quote and run with it the exact same way. And teams would have wondered about Newton's commitment to the game. How does the context of the quote change the impact? To me, not at all.

Did any of Newton's reps -- agent Bus Cook or his marketing people or father -- say to him, "That's a bad thing to say at any point of a young career, never mind just before the combine?'' I certainly hope so, or they don't have his best interests at heart. I found Newton to be an amiable enough person, though how much can you really tell by a 15-minute phone conversation? And I was encouraged by a couple of things at the combine.

One: He never said the quote wasn't accurate; I've heard enough players, with me and other reporters, backtrack out of a bad situation by saying they were victimized by an invented quote. Two: Combine godfather Gil Brandt of the NFL told me he spent time with Newton in Indianapolis and the player said he'd put his foot in his mouth and planned to apologize for it to the press and to teams. He pretty much did that to the assembled press, though he said several times he felt he was misunderstood.

On NFL Network Sunday, Newton said of our conversation: "My response was, I view myself as that due to the fact that I'm not only going to just be selling football cleats, I'm going to be selling lifestyle apparel -- everything else ... I could have picked way more [different] words to express what I really wanted to say. I want to personally apologize to everybody who was offended about it."

As I wrote higher in this column, I definitely wouldn't eliminate Newton as a possible high pick because of one sentence. He's had a checkered past, obviously, and this doesn't help. As I write in SI this coming week, teams are going to do lots of homework on Newton to make sure they're comfortable with him as a player and person and comfortable with his desire to make football the highest priority in his life. He's such a great prospect, with charisma to match, that I expect him to get picked very high, as high as number one, to Carolina. But teams have miles to go before they can say with certainty they're comfortable with building their team around him.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/02/28/combine/index.html#ixzz1FH8trYbh

Basically: He talked to Newton, Asked him about Under Armor deal, got a juicy quote, didn't want to make a story about it, so quoted it 100% out of context to 500,000 twitter followers. King then has the dumbassery to say, "Context doesn't matter here" (paraphrased)

I have yet to jump on any 1st overall pick, but to say that the above quote isn't 100% damaging to a potential pick is absolute bullshit.

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mav1234 Grand Master

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I don't think the context DID matter... "Yeah I am an entertaining and an icon because I'm selling lifestyle apparel"? lol.

Who cares about the context. He said the same thing either way. I just don't get the difference. Yeah he was asked the question - did anyone really think in an interview he just went on a tirade about him being an entertaining and an icon?

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Kurb Newbie

Kurb

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Actually makes him a good writer...he got some pub and people read his articles. Sometimes those guys are just as shady as lawyers, but he did what he was supposed to do (like it or not).

Makes him a good article bait maker.

But I understand your point.

Even edited the title.

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Urrymonster Newbie

Urrymonster

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I dunno. It is out of context and it aint much, but it's just a little something more to add to the pile.

I don't think he's a bad person, just he has moments of not thinking.

Anyway you twist it, he did say he was an icon and an entertainer, then reaffirmed that when saying he is supposed to be a cleat and lifestyle seller. Is he going to do that? Of course, but there is no point even bringing it up because his mind should be 100% on the NFL.

Anyone else and people would jump on it, so no point in sweeping it under the rug just because it's Cam. Again, on it's own it's a lack of judgement, but when looking at the bigger picture he just appears to make errors of judgement from time to time.

Also, I am pretty sure this won't damage his standing with GM's. Those that put a premium on character will have their detective gloves on already, those that aren't too bothered will chalk it up to just a misinterpretation. Hardly character assassination.

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