How to make the Heisman Trophy irrelevant.
By Kevin Probst
Once upon a time there was a great football player who played running back for Oregon. But LaMichael James wasn’t so great off the field. He was accused and convicted of strangling his girl friend, (funny how people express love these days) and he was charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault and two counts of physical harassment. Oregon slapped a severe punishment on him by forcing him to sit out its 72-0 massacre of New Mexico. What will this man eventually receive from the NCAA …? Possibly a Heisman Trophy.
Cam Newton is the player who finally left the University of Florida after having been accused of academic fraud. He was arrested at U of F after chunking a stolen computer he had in his possession out the window. Dishonesty runs in this family like a stuffy nose in January. Cam’s father, Cecil, tried to auction his son’s playing ability off to the highest bidder. We don’t know if Auburn won yet, we just know Mississippi State lost. During his brief but illustrious college football career Cam Newton has been accused of cheating and thievery. What will this man eventually receive from the NCAA….? Possibly a Heisman Trophy.
Reggie Bush, former USC player and star player for the New Orleans Saints, was accused of receiving illegal monies while playing for the Trojans. Bush has never denied the allegations. What did this man eventually receive from the NCAA…? The 2005 Heisman Trophy. Bush relinquished the trophy last September. I wonder how the star quarterback who played for Texas, Vince Young, must feel after winning second place that year in the voting?
So, we get the message loud and clear. The Heisman Trophy is all about football talent and nothing at all about character. The message to all our 12 year old little league football players? You can lie and cheat your way through school, play great football and one day you may even walk away with the Heisman Trophy. It’s disgusting to see that honesty and integrity and character development have taken second place to big multi-million dollar bowl contracts. The corruption runs just as deeper among those running the show as it does among the players. The pot is just calling the kettle black. The Heisman Trophy is becoming as irrelevant as the Nobel Peace Prize.
And to think, Tim Tebow, who won the trophy in 2007 was pretty much castigated by the press because he openly professed Christ as Savior and championed the fight for newborn life.
To those who vote for the Heisman winner: Please protect the integrity of the award and those who earned it in the past by being honest and working hard. Give it to a player who not only possesses unbelievable football talent but also demonstrates leadership off the field by living up to a certain standard of moral integrity.
Kevin Probst - Is a teacher of Apologetics and History at Calvary Christian School and Associate Pastor of Crosspointe Nazarene Church church in Columbus, Georgia.
Cam professes his faith for God each time he interviews after a game. He thanks the Lord for his God-given talents, you dont think he deserves this second chance he is getting? I mean all the hard work to go to little Blinn JC then to blow through the hard SEC in your first year, that is saying something with what he has done.
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