In a statement released by his lawyer earlier in the week, he said his presence could "rob Cam and the event of a sacred moment."Īll the uncertainty didn’t keep voters from making Newton an overwhelming choice - he received the sixth most first-place votes and the third highest percentage of first-place votes. The NCAA didn’t punish Cam Newton but did say Cecil Newton’s access to Auburn athletics would have to be limited. And for most of November, that was unclear following claims by a Mississippi State booster who said Newton’s father tried to get the Bulldogs to pay $180,000 for his son to play for them. To be eligible for the Heisman, a player must be in good standing with the NCAA. Still, it invites speculation that the newest Heisman winner could perhaps be heading down the same path as Reggie Bush, who returned his trophy three months ago after the NCAA ruled that he and his family received cash and gifts while he was at Southern California.Īsked about the possibility during his news conference, Newton said firmly: "Two letters for you my friend - No." It also suggested that it was still investigating, as were the FBI and the Mississippi secretary of state’s office. However, the NCAA cleared him to play before the Southeastern Conference title game because it found no evidence that he or Auburn knew about Cecil Newton’s pay-for-play scheme. But his story is stained: Last month the NCAA determined his father tried to peddle him to Mississippi State for cash. 2 Oregon, running and passing over opponents who looked helpless trying to stop him. He’s carried the top-ranked Tigers to the BCS national championship game against No. On the field and off, Newton has been the story of the college football season. "Oh my God," he whispered as he reached into his inside jacket packet to pull out his speech. When he reached the podium, he had to steady himself. "It’s been hard for me, but it’s been extremely hard for her just to see how much her son has been through and I just wanted to hug her the whole night to make her feel at ease." "When I reached my mother I really didn’t want to let go," Newton said. A wide smile spread across his face and he dropped his head.Īfter exchanging hugs and handshakes with the other finalists, he and his mother, Jackie, shared a long embrace. Newton didn’t look a bit surprised when his name was announced inside the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. Oregon running back LaMichael James was third, followed by Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, the other finalist. "Honestly, it’s a dream come true for me, something every child has a dream (about) that plays the sport of football, and I’m living testimony that anything is possible," Newton said. The third player from Auburn to win the Heisman, Newton received 729 first-place votes and outpointed runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford by 1,184 points. He gave me words of encouragement before I came up here. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"I’d be sitting up here lying to you if I didn’t say it hurt," Newton said during the ESPN telecast before the winner was announced. That didn’t mean it all wasn’t tinged with sadness because his father was not there. Newton brushed off an investigation that determined his father violated NCAA rules as he did so many tacklers this season and captured the Heisman in a landslide vote. Whether he gets to keep it is still uncertain. There was no doubt Newton would win the Heisman. "Thank you for all you did for me," he told his parents, adding. Cecil Newton was back in Georgia, though his son put him squarely in the room where the Auburn quarterback accepted college football’s biggest award Saturday night - the Heisman Trophy.