Think All NFL Quarterbacks Are Tough? Cam Newton Quit Baseball Because He “Was Afraid Of The Ball”

This kid wanted to be the next Cam Newton until he heard this story.

Over the last few years, there hasn’t been very many football players I’ve waffled more on than Cam Newton. when he was coming out of Auburn, I was very skeptical of his ability to play quarterback in the NFL. In fact, I constantly referred to him as “JaMarcus II.”  Then his rookie season in Carolina made me think maybe the kid had some potential. But Newton’s second season made me wonder, especially the pouty, whiny guy we saw after every Panther loss.  It took me back to the character issues which concerned me in the first place.

Then, CBS Sports Chicago reported that Cam Newton quit playing baseball at age 14 because he was afraid of the ball.

To play quarterback in the NFL, you must be as close to fearless as possible.

Yeah, you would think that, but this story seems to fly in the face of that, don’t you think?

Few other activities leave you starring down the face mask of a 300-pound athlete who wants to do nothing more than destroy you. But for Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, the challenge of playing baseball was much, much scarier than playing football.

In fact, Newton quit baseball at a young age because he was afraid of the ball.

Well, now it’s beyond “seems.” If you played Little League baseball back in my day, there was no better way to get called “fag” by your teammates than to be afraid of the ball.  I’m not saying that was right; I’m saying that is the way it was…and despite the “tolerance” we hypocritcally preach in this country, it probably still is that way.

But let’s take that back to the Cam Newton story.  How the fuck can you be afraid of an 8-ounce ball, and yet the idea of having your liver mashed by a 300-pound defensive lineman doesn’t make you want to poop your pants?

“I quit baseball at 14 because I was afraid of the pitches,” Newton told ESPN the Magazine. “The kids started getting better and throwing faster, and it would’ve hurt getting hit by that ball, so I stopped playing. That left a void, so I started playing basketball in the eighth grade.”

Let’s start with basketball. Once again, I don’t buy a Cam Newton story because schoolyard basketball is the best place to get your teeth elbowed right out of your fucking head short of building a time machine and taking the floor against the 1989 Detroit Pistons. Lest I seem like I’m belaboring the point,  if you think a baseball hurts when it hits you, what the hell would you expect this to feel like?

What does it all come down to? I’m convinced that all athletic abilities aside, Cam Newton is a flake. To be honest, the NFL has always been full of guys who were a bit strange, and it isn’t always a detriment to being a successful player. Will that be the case with Cam Newton? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure in his case it can’t help.

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