If true that Cecil Newton, an Atlanta preacher, essentially sought to sell his son to a football program (Mississippi State) for at least $100,000, it speaks poorly of the family’s ability to track current events.
One is left to assume the Newtons neither subscribe to a newspaper nor have invested in a trustworthy Internet connection. How else to explain why the father of a sought-after athlete would think he could get away with something like this in light of the Reggie Bush fiasco that’s been playing out on the public stage for years now.
Cecil obviously wasn’t paying attention when Bush, the poster child for receiving improper benefits, gave back his Heisman Trophy before he could be stripped of it after the NCAA concluded the former USC running back’s family had been living too lavishly courtesy of illegal payments.
Newton, supposedly this year’s Heisman frontrunner, seems unruffled by it all as the season draws to a close.
If Cecil Newton did have his hand out, it’s a shame his son (assuming no knowledge on his part) is the one who will suffer. But it’s baffling these days that any amateur athlete or his family, especially in light of the Bush cautionary tale, would think it possible to demand money and escape eventual exposure.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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