Editor, The Auburn Plainsman
Let me start by saying that, although I'm currently a senior at the University of Illinois at Champaign, I've grown up watching Auburn football and have always admired the way the program there is run.
In fact, I was devastated when our athletic director refused to fire Ron Zook last year because I was hoping we could scoop up Tommy Tuberville.
I'm a student reporter for our campus TV station (UI-7 TV) and was our student newspaper's (The Daily Illini) football columnist last season.
Yet right now, I really wish I was working for a media outlet in Alabama because you guys have an opportunity to speak out about something disgraceful.
I hope that someone at The Auburn Plainsman is writing a column to tear apart ESPN's recent coverage of Cam Newton.
This morning, Joe Schad was live on ESPN's set reporting on Newton "allegedly" cheating on an exam while at Florida. This has Florida sour grapes written all over it--and the media should not be tainting Newton's Heisman campaign (not to mention his eligibility and entire future) with something that happened years ago.
The young man made mistakes, but that's why he went the junior college route and got his act together.
The fact that this stuff is surfacing is disgraceful. ESPN should be covering things that are current--that's why it's seen as a credible sports news station.
College football players make more mistakes than athletes in any other sport in the world. Trust me, I've seen the things that go on at Illinois.
But that's why they're student-athletes (emphasis on the student). At the end of the day, they should have the chance at redemption--and Cam Newton's road to redemption shouldn't be undercut by arrogant members of the national media.
I really hope someone at The Plainsman comes to his defense.
Pete Zervakis
University of Illinois
senior, broadcast
journalism
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