In sports, we often see players also part take in the recruiting of other players. Cam Newton’s approach to Michael Oher was as straight forward as they could get.
Many analysts are trying to dissect the dynamic between the Carolina Panthers. How did they get to this stage exactly? Some may say it’s their talent but others will say that it’s a team effort. Either way, the magic that is brewing in North Carolina is wonderful to watch. Cam Newton was busy trying to bring a player that possessed talent and team effort, which brought him to Michael Oher. Newton spoke a little bit about the approach he took with Oher and how difficult it was to convince him.
“With the free agent pool, I’ve sent texts out before, called guys and said, ‘We’d love for you to be part of the team.’ But Mike was different,” Newton said. “I didn’t say, ‘I want you to be here.’ It was, ‘I need you.’ That’s different. Want and need are two different words, and that’s what I used in that text, along with other explicit words before the ‘need.’ And I think he got the feeling from that.”
But Newton had eyes on that Ravens team the entire time. His brother, Cecil Newton Jr, was on the practice squad at the same time that Oher was. His brother’s opinion on Oher weighed heavily on Cam.
“With my brother playing in Baltimore, I had someone tell me how good he really is. My brother, playing on the offensive line, was around him every day, saw how he brought the professionalism each and every day. That’s something that stuck out to him, and he told me, ‘Mike is someone who will be a key asset to the team,’” Newton said.
Older brothers know best and Cecil Newton knew what talent he was practicing with when it came to Oher.