Cam Newton Blames JaMarcus Russell And Vince Young For The Disrespect He Gets

[g5jamz]

http://deadspin.com/5871633/cam-newton-blames-jamarcus-russell-and-vince-young-for-the-disrespect-he-gets

We wrote a bit yesterday about how Panthers QB/super-rookie Cam Newton has been shortchanged by the national media. We framed it through the prism of The Golden Calf of Bristol, although Newton deserves plenty of recognition in his own right.

Today, well, ESPN the Magazine has named him "NEXT." Hooray?

With good reason, Killa Cam takes shots at his media doubters in the ESPN piece. They're not racist, he says, just biased against quarterbacks picked toward the top of the first round (who, it occurs to me, also happen to be black).

"I can't sit up here and look at it like, oh man, my critics are racist," Newton says. "I blame JaMarcus Russell and to some degree Vince Young. If you have the opportunity to make that kind of money doing something you love to do, why would you screw it up? I'm trying to be a trailblazer. If Baylor's Robert Griffin decides to come out, I want people to say 'He can be the next Cam Newton' instead of 'He's gonna be the next JaMarcus Russell.'"

Pre-rookie salary cap when bookoos of guaranteed money was the rule, you're exactly right Cam. Auburn stuff didn't help, but I'm estatic he's proven he does have the head for this. When's training camp...

[fieryprophet]

There's a cloud brewing over those comments (Mike Freeman's already started up about it: http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6264363/34070848), but frankly, he's absolutely right. If those guys had handled their business like professionals, worked hard and maximized their abilities the comparisons would have been moot.

I'm sure that some of the criticism had to do with his skin color, but that's an excuse to Cam, and he hates excuses. Just another reason that he will be great, he refuses to let any stumbling block slow him down.

Hopefully ten years from now someone like RG3 will come out and people will say "Can he be the next Cam Newton?" and mean it in a good way. Even better, a tall Asian dude with freakish athletic ability will come out and they'll ask the same thing about him ;)

It's time we moved past these stupid stereotypes as a society.

[g5jamz]

There's a cloud brewing over those comments (Mike Freeman's already started up about it: http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6264363/34070848), but frankly, he's absolutely right. If those guys had handled their business like professionals, worked hard and maximized their abilities the comparisons would have been moot.

I'm sure that some of the criticism had to do with his skin color, but that's an excuse to Cam, and he hates excuses. Just another reason that he will be great, he refuses to let any stumbling block slow him down.

yeah...that part wasn't said by Cam...that was by Deadspin. I should've italicized that.

[hepcat]

All that money wasted on those lazy losers should go to Cam, a guy who's out there on the field earning it.

[Miguel O'Hara]

Cam is right. JaWalrus Russel and VY screwed a lot of young black QBs. Both came out highly touted and both did absolutely squat in the nil and it wasn't because they didn't have the talent, they simply didn't care to be good.

Thank God for Cam Newton.

[Vagrant]

Cam will learn that you can't go around saying names and expect there to not be any backlash from that. Sometimes young guys can forget that these guys they're talking about are people too and you're giving them an opportunity to use your fame to up their own profile. Cam should have just said, "there have been athletic quarterbacks like me taken in the first five picks that didn't work as hard as they should have", and that way he could have avoided calling out people specifically. He doesn't need the added drama.

[ed bell]

He probably should have kept Vince out of it, but I understand why JaMarcus was mentioned.

I think Vince suffered from legitimate mental trouble/illness at some point. He seems to have moved on from that, but I wouldn't classify Young as a successful NFL QB at this point.

[pantherj]

Hell we had a lot of positive posts on this forum praising Cam before the draft, and the next post would say:

"JaMarcus Russell"

So I can see why Cam feels the way he does about the media.

[footballisasport]

http://deadspin.com/5871633/cam-newton-blames-jamarcus-russell-and-vince-young-for-the-disrespect-he-gets

Pre-rookie salary cap when bookoos of guaranteed money was the rule, you're exactly right Cam. Auburn stuff didn't help, but I'm estatic he's proven he does have the head for this. When's training camp...

Let's be real the Aburn stuff was as real as Kim Kadashian wedding. There was no proof of Auburn paying for Cam...There was no proof of Cam's father asking for money for him to even attend MSU...It was all media gossip, story-telling, speculations, and accusations by those who, when the smoke cleared, had some kind of tie to Alabama Crimson Tides.

Anyway, I see where Cam is coming from but there are many QBs who make tons of money going off the draftboard first and screwed up their chances. Why was Cam always associated with the only two blacks who failed or any failed QB as a matter of fact and made to appear as if he was going to be no different. That's IMO, blantant stereotyping at it's max.

It's sad that he's was being treated the way he was because of two black QBs who didn't live up to others expectations. While there have been hundreds of failed white QBs, no one saw it neccessary to hold it over the heads of the Peyton Mannings, Eli Mannings, Sam Brafords, Matt Stafford or the Andrew Lucks of this generation. No excuse for how Cam was treated.

How many Jamarcus Russells have come through the NFL and no one is comparing the next Andrew Luck to them?

[AceMan]

Hell we had a lot of positive posts on this forum praising Cam before the draft, and the next post would say:

"JaMarcus Russell"

So I can see why Cam feels the way he does about the media.

[Miguel O'Hara]

Cam will learn that you can't go around saying names and expect there to not be any backlash from that. Sometimes young guys can forget that these guys they're talking about are people too and you're giving them an opportunity to use your fame to up their own profile. Cam should have just said, "there have been athletic quarterbacks like me taken in the first five picks that didn't work as hard as they should have", and that way he could have avoided calling out people specifically. He doesn't need the added drama.

The hell with that. If you are going to take a shot at someone, do it like a man, dont dance around it or hide behind some garbage political correct response. JaWalrus deserved to be called out. He was more than garbage and he single handedly set a lot of young QB's back. Yet again, Cam has said the right thing.

[pantherj]

Let's be real the Aburn stuff was as real as Kim Kadashian wedding. There was no proof of Auburn paying for Cam...There was no proof of Cam's father asking for money for him to even attend MSU...It was all media gossip, story-telling, speculations, and accusations by those who, when the smoke cleared, had some kind of tie to Alabama Crimson Tides.

Anyway, I see where Cam is coming from but there are many QBs who make tons of money going off the draftboard first and screwed up their chances. Why was Cam always associated with the only two blacks who failed or any failed QB as a matter of fact and made to appear as if he was going to be no different. That's IMO, blantant stereotyping at it's max.

It's sad that he's was being treated the way he was because of two black QBs who didn't live up to others expectations. While there have been hundreds of failed white QBs, no one saw it neccessary to hold it over the heads of the Peyton Mannings, Eli Mannings, Sam Brafords, Matt Stafford or the Andrew Lucks of this generation. No excuse for how Cam was treated.

How many Jamarcus Russells have come through the NFL and no one is comparing the next Andrew Luck to them?

If you want to be blunt about it, sports writers were doubting his intelligence because he was black, and there were rumors he cheated on a test, and he didn't speak well in public.

[fieryprophet]

Let's be real the Aburn stuff was as real as Kim Kadashian wedding. There was no proof of Auburn paying for Cam...There was no proof of Cam's father asking for money for him to even attend MSU...It was all media gossip, story-telling, speculations, and accusations by those who, when the smoke cleared, had some kind of tie to Alabama Crimson Tides.

Anyway, I see where Cam is coming from but there are many QBs who make tons of money going off the draftboard first and screwed up their chances. Why was Cam always associated with the only two blacks who failed or any failed QB as a matter of fact and made to appear as if he was going to be no different. That's IMO, blantant stereotyping at it's max.

It's sad that he's was being treated the way he was because of two black QBs who didn't live up to others expectations. While there have been hundreds of failed white QBs, no one saw it neccessary to hold it over the heads of the Peyton Mannings, Eli Mannings, Sam Brafords, Matt Stafford or the Andrew Lucks of this generation. No excuse for how Cam was treated.

How many Jamarcus Russells have come through the NFL and no one is comparing the next Andrew Luck to them?

You may not remember this, but there was a sizable contingent that dissed Peyton Manning in comparison to the more athletic Ryan Leaf prior to the '98 draft, and called him a choker for never leading Tennessee to the national title. Most 49er fans still call Alex Smith a bust, especially considering they missed on Aaron Rodgers. It does happen, and Andrew Luck's stock will taking a beating (which happens, because you have to be absolutely certain with the #1 pick) up until the draft, even though he will still go #1.

[King Taharqa]

It's sad that he's was being treated the way he was because of two black QBs who didn't live up to others expectations. While there have been hundreds of failed white QBs, no one saw it neccessary to hold it over the heads of the Peyton Mannings, Eli Mannings, Sam Brafords, Matt Stafford or the Andrew Lucks of this generation. No excuse for how Cam was treated.

How many Jamarcus Russells have come through the NFL and no one is comparing the next Andrew Luck to them?

Exactly. Andy Dalton isnt being asked to prove he's not Mirer or Leinart or Couch or Marinovich. He doesnt have to throw them under the bus to prove he's one of the 'good ones'. He doesnt have to combat peoples ignorance because of those guys failures. Cam will learn this same media that is praising him now will flip on him in a heartbeat when he struggles. I dont blame Vince and JaMarcus for people calling Cam a thug and talkin poo about his family.