Two things about yours truly. I'm not a Cam Newton fan. Far from it. Though I was neutral towards him while he was in college and beginning his time in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, his post-Super Bowl childish behavior alienated me. Yeah, I get it. The dude was only in his early twenties, an immature age according to some. But for that very reason, I don't buy it. It's old enough to know better.
The other thing is I remain fiercely "politically incorrect". (Much to the occasional chagrin of my boss, the editor, at times). While there are certain ethical rules that go along with writing a public blog like this, nobody's going to tell me what I can or cannot say otherwise in life. If people don't like it -- go find somebody else to hang with. Personally, I don't give a rat's behind. My significant other is just fine with it and that's good enough for me.
But just because I'm not a Newton fan doesn't mean I won't stand up for him, or anybody else, when I feel they've been wronged.
Currently, the sports world, especially the media, are all up in arms over Newton's comment to a female reporter during a press conference. Apparently, he found it funny that a female would ask him about the routes run by pass receivers. She took offense, as did a lot of other people.
And the onslaught was on. Poor Cam has been dragged over the coals every which way for being so "insensitive". Once the politically correcters get a person in their cross-hairs, they never want to quit firing. Though Newton has apologized, even THAT has been dissected and criticized.
Maybe he didn't mean it. Maybe he isn't feeling enough remorse. Maybe this, maybe that. He's pretty well screwed for now no matter what he says -- or doesn't say. Sure, it will pass in time like most everything else.
To all of which I say time out. Hold it right there. What the hell is going on here?
For the life of me, I can't understand just what it is that Newton did wrong. Since when should a person be thrown under the bus for stating, publicly or privately, what he finds to be funny?
Senses of humor certainly vary. What some find hilarious others might deem sick. There was a time when dead baby jokes were all the rage. What I thought of them is/was irrelevant, but the tellers had every right to throw them out there. And don't kid yourself. A lot of people laughed at them.
Ethnic jokes have been around forever and likely always will be. A Irishman, a jew, and a gay lawyer walk into a bar...... You know how they go. Everybody's heard thousands of them over the years. Some find any particular one humorous, some don't.
So for Cam Newton to take a public thrashing over something he found funny is just wrong. It's not like he personally insulted yon female reporter or called her any various derogatory terms.
Therefore, I saw no reason whatsoever for him to have to apologize at all, let alone grovel. If I'm him, I merely say I meant no offense (which seemed obvious at the time) and any that took it need to get a life. "I'm sorry" is not part of my response. If that's not good enough -- tough. Get over it or live with it. Whatever, because I've got far more important things to be concerned with than your precious feelings.
[And BTW, what about HIS feelings? Do you think he enjoys being lambasted from coast to coast?]
In the end, I still won't root for Cam or the Panthers. In fact, Newton's lack of cajones handling this petty matter turned me off just a bit more.
But if he or anybody else finds themselves in a similar predicament sometime in the future, they can know at least one person has their back.
This whole politically correct mania has got so many people afraid to speak what they feel and think.
I say to hell with that.
Say it anyway and if there are those that don't like it -- that's their problem.
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