AN OPEN LETTER TO CAM NEWTON 02/01/16
By: Brian Engelman
You recently stated: “I’m an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing they can compare me to,”
Maybe I missed the context here, but it kind of sounds like you are saying that people who don’t like you, feel that way because you are black. You do realize that football fans like me grew up watching Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Doug Williams, Michael Vick and other black quarterbacks as commonplace. Hell, because of the laundry that I cheer for, I even rooted for Browns QB Spergon Wynn!
You’ve been dancing &“dabbing” all season, & some people are tired of the Superman poses & the flashy antics. Big deal. I don’t understand what made you want to bring race into the equation? People get annoyed with showboats, whether that player is named Terrell Owens, or Johnny Manziel. I don’t get how skin pigment has anything to do with it. (Although Johnny Manziel was drafted by the “Browns” and that is technically a color,…so maybe it does matter after all.) Insert Dan Gilbert “Comic Sans” font for sarcasm.
By the way, Manziel had a target on him from the first time he stepped on the field. Other teams relished the opportunity to get a hit, or a sack on Johnny Freaking Football,…if only to taunt him right back with his stupid “money sign” gesture. They did it because the kid was acting like a bulletproof punk. Ohh, speaking of Johnny, recently LeBron James and his management team finally cut ties with Manziel. Would you also assume that race has something to do with that decision, or could it be that everyone is just finally sick of Manziel’s crap?
America can sometimes love cocky showboating from athletes, some people hate watching it, & sometimes we don’t care either way. I don’t care either way. At least I didn’t care until you strangely played the race card.
As a funny side note, I even drafted you to start in one of my fantasy football leagues this year. I’ve been rooting for you all season. I didn’t care about your race or your antics, I only cared about the points you put up to help my team win. Congrats by the way on building a strong case as this year’s NFL MVP.
However, I read your quote, I did a double take, I thought about it for a few days, and I wanted to let you know that I am quite used to watching & rooting for talented black quarterbacks. As an Ohio State fan I’ve cheered for Troy Smith, Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett & others over the years. Pro tip: You have a few former Buckeyes on your team. Just ask them. I’ve just never seen a sports world without successful black quarterbacks, and neither have you,….so I don’t understand why you wanted to make this a big deal. It’s not about race,…it’s about class. It’s the matchup of Humility vs. Narcissism.
It’s not rocket science,…and it’s also not racist. It’s common sense.
Some people just prefer more Barry Sanders, & less Dion Sanders.
Good luck in the game.