Cam Newton talked to Johnny Manziel about spotlight
By Mike Dyce
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel has had a troublesome offseason with scandals from the “oversleeping” incident at the Mannings Passing Academy, to bong photos, to getting kicked out of frat parties to a new scandal that he signed memorobilia for money.
It might be hard for some to understand the scrutiny and microscope that Johnny Football is under, but one guy who understands is Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Newton said he has spoken with Manziel several times this offseason but wouldn’t elaborate saying the conversations are private. Newton did say that Manziel “has to go through these types of situations to know how to handle them in the future. When somebody comes up to you and asks for your autograph, you don’t know if they’re going to do it for good or bad” purposes.
Aside from the Heisman Trophy bond between the two, both were involved in pay-for-play allegations while playing in college.
“For any college athlete you are vulnerable to so many things,” Newton said, via ESPN. “You think everybody loves you for who you are.”
It is a lesson Newton had to learn the hard way himself during a tumultous college career that landed him a Heisman Trophy and a BCS National Championship.
“When I was there at college so many people wanted from me and I wanted to give so much,” Newton said. “Like I would sign this and give my time and this, this and that. And nobody was looking at it through my [eyes]. If you say no to this particular person you are going to be a [jerk]. You are going to be the person that people look at as, ‘What’s up? We came out here and supported you and cheered for you and you can’t sign an autograph?’ Never mind that you signed 300 other autographs before. But that’s the nature of the beast.”
Newton hopes “that everything works out in the best for him so he can get back to what he likes to do and that’s playing football.”