Your reigning NFL MVP and seemingly the center of all controversy, Cam Newton, graces the cover of the April/May issue of Ebony Magazine. The Panthers QB talks about a litany of topics the only way he knows how, by being real.
You might remember Cam’s dabbing celebration this season was a topic of discussion all across America, prompting one woman to write a letter to the Charlotte Observer, vilifying Cam for his “pelvic thrusts.” Then there is Cam’s flamboyant style of dress and how that says something about his “character.” And, the mainstream can’t seem to let go of the “laptop incident” from his days as a Gator or the pay for play incident between his father and Auburn. Despite some of our most celebrated quarterbacks having been involved in incidents, we can call less honorable, while in college but somehow we don’t view those incidents the same way…but I digress.
Love him or hate him Cam Newton is someone the likes, we’ve never seen before. Blessed with an Adonis body, the talent and intellect (yes, I said it) to be one of the greatest. But, there is this weird thing we do as people (and I am part of that collective we). We’re all for celebrating greatness if the person is someone we like. Our justifications for why we like someone varies from person to person often without consistencies. Maybe Cam’s a bad dude, maybe he’s a good dude, maybe he’s just in between. The one thing I know for sure, he is who he is and is unapologetically so. As Newton once said:
I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing that they can compare that to.
