Warren Moon spoke out this week about what he perceives as a racial bias against Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
From CBSSports.com:
“A lot of the criticism he’s receiving is unfortunate and racially based,” Moon said. “I thought we were all past this. I don’t see other quarterbacks in the draft being criticized by the media or fans about their smile or called a phony. He’s being held to different standards from white quarterbacks. I thought we were past all this stuff about African-American quarterbacks, but I guess we’re not.
“Of course there is racism in every walk of society. We’ve made a lot of progress in this country. But racism is still there. I just thought in the sports arena we were beyond it. I think the way Cam is being treated shows we’re not.”
Moon added: “The thing that makes me laugh is the question of can he [Newton] come out of the spread offense? Can he run a pro offense? Colt McCoy came out of the spread offense and very few people raised that issue about him. So did Sam Bradford. Same thing. Very few questions asking if Bradford could run a pro offense. Some of these questions about Cam are more about his intellect. It’s blatant racism, some of it.
Is Moon serious about McCoy and Bradford? Whether or not they could run a pro-style offense was the biggest question surrounding both quarterbacks last year. And it’s always going to be a question when a QB prospect ran the spread in college, so Moon has no basis for saying “very few people raised” concerns about McCoy and Bradford running the spread.
Moon has received plenty of backlash from his comments, but didn’t back down via Twitter on Friday morning:
4 those of u that don’t like my opinions, it’s 2 bad u feel that way,” Moon wrote. “I answered the questions asked and know what I said. Unless u have been a black QB, u have no idea! #CamNewton
I’ve never been black, so Moon is right: I have no idea what it’s like to feel what it’s like to be racially profiled. I can’t possibly understand what Moon has gone through, or anyone else who has felt the unnecessary sting of racism.
That said, let’s look at the facts regarding Newton.
On November 21, 2008, when Newton was attending the University of Florida, he was arrested for allegedly stealing a laptop computer from a fellow student. After the laptop turned up in his possession, he was temporarily suspended from the team. He then withdrew from UF after the Fall ’08 semester, and the charges against him were dropped after he completed a court-approved pretrial diversion program. It’s also been reported that he left Florida rather than face suspension or expulsion in part because of three instances of academic cheating.
This past year, he found himself soaked in controversy because of allegations that his father sought money in return for his commitment to play for certain programs. At first, he was declared ineligible by Auburn after the university found evidence that Cecil Newton did in fact solicit at least one school (Mississippi State) for money. The NCAA quickly reinstated Newton, but that hasn’t erased the doubt that some people have about whether or not he/his father and Auburn broke NCAA rules.
So, you have a NFL prospect that was arrested for stealing a laptop, was accused of academic cheating not once, but three times, and who just spent a year entangled in a major NCAA scandal. And Moon thinks that most of the criticism that Newton is receiving has been racially based? Okay. Is it possible, given everything that has transpired over these last couple of years with Newton, that people just see an immature kid who isn’t ready to be the face of a NFL franchise?
Moon has a right to his opinion and if he has actually witnessed Newton being racially attacked, then his comments are just. But in that same breath, let me remind Moon that other people have a right to their opinion too and if they see a cocky athlete with an enormous ego, so be it. It’s not hard to fathom that some people don’t like Newton as a prospect not because of the color of his skin, but because of concerns about his character. Maybe Moon is right and the two are related, but he has to be open to the notion that Newton is being criticized because of his sketchy past.
I’m very aware that racism is sadly still alive and well in this country. But if Moon wants to suggest that Newton or any other African-American quarterback is being held to a different standard than white quarterbacks, then I would recommend he type the phrase “Ryan Mallett drugs” into Google and sees what comes back. Unfortunately we live in a society where information is readily at our fingertips in a moment’s notice. Prospects these days are criticized on everything from arm strength to their public speaking ability, but that doesn’t mean that the criticism is racially charged.
