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Wednesday
Nov102010

More Than A Football Field Should Determine Heisman Winner

Picture of Cam Newton

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Are you like me? Are you tired of hearing that "the Heisman Trophy is won on the playing field?"

The line was popular a couple months ago when Reggie Bush and his gravy-training family were the talk of the sports world.

The expression has reared its ugly head again the last week or so as Cam Newton and possibly his own gravy-training family now find themselves the talk of this same fickle sports world.

Sure the Heisman Trophy is won on the football field. But there's also a mention of the word "integrity" in the voter guidelines, and while I'm not yet convicting Newton of taking money to play at Auburn, it sure is starting to stink down there.

Still, we play by the innocent-until-proven-guilty rule, and Newton probably won't be proven guilty before the Heisman winner is announced on Dec. 11, if he ever will be at all. So it's pretty simple: If he continues to play at his current level of productivity, Newton should beat out Oregon running back LaMichael James for the coveted statue.


YOUR THOUGHTS: Heisman An On-Field Only Honor?

I don't disagree with the voters who've said in recent days that they'd still vote for Newton despite these recent developments. Personally, I like James just as much, but you can't not vote for Newton because of allegations and the speculation they breed.

However, the notion that the trophy is won only on the field is a slightly erroneous one. It's possible there may be a star-in-the-making who never made it to that playing field because he did follow the rules. Maybe the test he put his name on was his own, and maybe he failed it, and maybe he was ruled academically ineligible and his dreams of fame and football were sidetracked. Had Newton played by the rules and turned in his own work, failed a test and was ineligible to compete, he wouldn't be thinking about the suit he'll be wearing to New York City next month.

And on the topic of the $200,000 — or was it only $180,000? — perhaps there's a would-be college football star not currently enrolled anywhere because he had to work to help his honest family get through some financial hardships the right way. Is this a likely scenario? Probably not, but just because we can't see something tangible doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

As he should be, Newton is still an eligible candidate, as well as a deserving one, but to say the Heisman Trophy is won only on the football field is short-sighted.

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