After Cam Newton stated that race plays a factor in the hate against him, one of the heroes for all Black QBs came to his defense.
Doug Williams, who was the first Black QB to win the Super Bowl, let people know his thoughts on Cam’s comments and the firestorm surrounding the Panthers’ fifth year QB through an interview with USA Today.
I’m not going to be the one who says what my thinking is, because sometimes it don’t matter what I think. It ain’t going to matter what he thinks. Because at the end of the day, you’ve got a lot of people denying (racism is behind the criticism of Newton), that that’s not true. Even if it’s true, they’re going to deny it.
I think Cam is mature enough, he knows what he’s up against. He knows what he has to deal with. And he’s got a daddy, he’s got grandparents, he’s got older people who’ve lived in this world long enough to understand why a lot of things happen to certain people. He’s got a right to understand that (race) could be one of the problems.
Williams faced his own battles in the pros, so he understands the underlying factors facing Black QBs. But he sees nothing wrong with the way Cam is handling his business both on and off the field:
Let’s be real. Williams said. This kid has had an unbelievable year. He has his own personality. I don’t see anything arrogant about Cam Newton. And I think a lot of people would agree with that. The kid is having fun. Ain’t nothing wrong with having fun.
“The team loves him. The fans love him. And the city loves him. At the end of the day, for Cam Newton, that’s the most important thing to him.
I don’t think he spends a lot of time with what people think about him if it’s not positive. I think what he’s shown in Charlotte and a lot of other places is that he’s a pretty good kid.”
While there are millions of fans that love him, there are those that downright hate/fear him for what he represents. They use the smallest things to degrade him (ripping down an opponent’s banner at his stadium? Ever been to a rivalry game?) but never focus on the great things he does such as feeding 900 children on Thanksgiving Day or giving his touchdown footballs to kids, both white and black, in the stands.
We’ve said it many times before; Cam is a cultural phenom that the NFL, media, fans and America have been forced to acknowledge and adjust to. Even Doug had to step his “Dab” game up, getting help from his 7- and 10-year-old daughters.
I can do it now, Williams said. But I wouldnt do it publicly.
