The very first line in the Heisman Trust Statement says it all: The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.
In this statement the Heisman voters are being instructed to consider not only a Heisman candidate's athletic ability but his conduct and character as well by the Heisman Trust in these very clear guidelines.
Heisman voters decided to ignore those guidelines of the Heisman Trust, and also ignore all of the off field problems involving Cam Newton over the past few years as well.
Newton is the Heisman winner for 2010, but the Heisman and college football are the big loser in this sad situation.
The problem here, as I see it, is allowing people who lack integrity themselves to vote on something as important as the Heisman—that is supposed to represent integrity in the first place. Most media types and superstar athletes wouldn't know integrity if the fell face first in it to begin with.
I am not going to bore everyone with the details of the off the field problems involving Newton—that range from felony charges to soliciting money for his commitment—but I have to ask, where does integrity begin and end in today's college football as far as the media is concerned?
Newton is a great athlete and deserves to be recognized for is athletic abilities, but to award him an award that is supposed to represent integrity is like awarding Osama Bin Laden the Nobel Peace Prize.
Whatever may come of the NCAA investigation into Newton, there was already more than enough evidence to withhold your vote in this situation, but apparently you all have some sort of agenda to ignore the integrity of this honor.
This is the official death of integrity in the Heisman Award as far as many are concerned. It is now just a matter of how low a player would have to go to not qualify for the Heisman based on his integrity.
We have already passed the threshold of being arrested for felonies, multiple police citations and cheating in school and suspicion of soliciting money. What could possibly be next, manslaughter?
The smartest thing the Heisman Trust can do at this point is to lose the hypocritical facade of integrity and join the rest of the sports world where anything and everything goes.
I just want to remind the Heisman voters that many young people will see this and take away one lesson: It doesn't matter how you conduct your life as long as you are a great athlete the world will overlook your indiscretions and reward you just the same.
Another sad episode has come to an end as one of the last vestiges of integrity in college sports falls victim to the star crazed media...
January Jones Christina DaRe Malin Akerman Melissa Joan Hart Bianca Kajlich
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