During Cam Newton’s Heisman Trophy-winning season at Auburn, his father, Cecil Newton, was a constant distraction. The NCAA ultimately ruled that Cecil violated recruiting rules by seeking money for his son’s services, but that Cam wasn’t aware of it.
Now that Cam Newton has entered the 2011 NFL draft, he doesn’t have to worry about NCAA regulations anymore. But that doesn’t mean his dad is done affecting his football career.
Jason La Canfora reported on NFL Network that some NFL teams are concerned about what role Cecil is having on his son’s preparation for the draft, and what role Cecil might have with his son going forward.
“Some are still wondering about that relationship,” La Canfora said. “They’re not just evaluating these young men, it’s their families and everyone around them that NFL teams are taking stock of as they decide whether to invest millions.”
If an NFL team thinks Cam Newton has the talent to be a great franchise quarterback, that team isn’t going to pass on him just because his dad is a helicopter father. But there’s no question that NFL teams want to know about players’ families, as Dez Bryant found out all too well when Jeff Ireland asked him if his mom was a prostitute. Cam Newton should be ready to answer lots of questions about his dad at the scouting combine.