In recent comments to USA Today, former Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer said he combines Tom Brady’s brain with Cam Newton’s body. Regardless of whether Kizer should have kept those thoughts to himself (he should have), Kizer now takes issue either with the quote or the characterization it has received.
Here’s the full quote that appeared in Thursday’s story from MDS: “Name a college quarterback who goes into the game-plan meetings on Monday and throws his notes at the coaches. No one else game plans the way I do. No one else prepares the way I do. No one else knows football the way I do. No one else is as big as I am. No one else is as powerful a runner as I am. Pat Mahomes might throw the ball 80 yards and I can only throw the ball 72, but I guarantee he can’t throw an out route the way I can. No one else can do what I can do. And I’ve truly figured out in this process, if I can maximize all my potential in every aspect of the game – this is bold – I do have the ability to be the greatest quarterback to ever play. Imagine taking Brady’s intellect and Brady’s preparation and putting it on a guy with Cam Newton’s body. Why can’t I be the greatest? The only thing stopping me from it is me. That’s what’s driving me now.”
Here’s the key portion of the quote, isolated from the rest of what Kizer said: “Imagine taking Brady’s intellect and Brady’s preparation and putting it on a guy with Cam Newton’s body.”
Here’s the headline to the PFT story: “DeShone Kizer: I have Tom Brady’s brain in Cam Newton’s body.”
Here’s the tweet from Kizer:
It’s unclear whether he believes the quote was taken out of context or that the headline takes his words out of context. (Tom Ley of Deadspin seems to think Kizer is referring to the quote.) Either way, nothing Kizer said was taken out of context.
“Imagine taking Brady’s intellect and Brady’s preparation and putting it on a guy with Cam Newton’s body” is what Kizer said. The context wasn’t a discussion regarding the potential construction of a football Frankenstein monster; the context was Kizer talking up his own skills in relation to those possessed by other quarterbacks in the same draft class.
Since Kizer clearly was talking about himself when he said “imagine taking Brady’s intellect and Brady’s preparation and putting it on a guy with Cam Newton’s body,” it’s more than fair to craft a headline that characterizes Kizer as saying, “I have Tom Brady’s brain in Cam Newton’s body.”
It also would have been fair to isolate another quote as the bait for clicks.
“DeShone Kizer: I can be the greatest quarterback in NFL history.”
Regardless, nothing Kizer said was taken out of context.