Auburn University quarterback Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. Now the question is: How long will he keep the award?
Despite his substantial victory -- Newton totaled 1,184 points more than runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford -- 105 voters omitted Newton from their ballots. Even still, Newton dominated the other three finalists: Luck, Oregon's LaMichael James, and Boise State's Kellen Moore. Newton received 729 first-place votes compared to Luck's next-best 78 first-place votes.
Newton was undoubtedly the best player in college football, but he was also the most controversial. Maybe the single most controversial college football player of all-time. Especially since Newton's pay-for-play allegations come so quickly on the heels of Reggie Bush having his Heisman trophy stripped. Indeed, Bush was noticeably absent from the gallery of past winners that ESPN flashed on the screen immediately before the announcement of the newest Heisman winner.
Early in Saturday's broadcast, ESPN's Chris Fowler publicly addressed Cecil Newton's absence from the ceremony. Asked before the vote by ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit what the most difficult aspect of the controversy surrounding his eligibility was, Newton replied, "Just everything coming back-to-back-to-back." Asked how difficult it was to not have his father at the ceremony, Newton replied, "I'd be lying to you if I didn't say it hurt. It hurts me a lot because this is a once-in-a-lifetime deal."
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Source: http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/12/11/cam-newton-has-heisman-trophy-but-for-how-long/
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