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Brandon Marshall doesn’t think all the criticism that Cam Newton
gets is about race.

Newton, the quarterback of the Super Bowl-bound Carolina
Panthers who has irked some with his touchdown celebrations,
said on Wednesday that he takes heat because he’s black.

“I’ve said this since Day One,” Newton said. “I’m an African-
American quarterback that scares people because they haven’t
seen nothing that they can compare me to.”

But Marshall, the outspoken Jets receiver, sees it differently.

“It’s a generational thing and I just stick to that,” Marshall
said on “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” on Wednesday
night. “I don’t think it’s racial. I just think that there’s a
box that we put our quarterbacks in and we say, ‘This is how
you’re supposed to be. This is how Peyton Manning did it, this
is how Joe Montana did it, Tom Brady, so you do it the same
way.’”

Of course, every quarterback Marshall named in that sentence
also happens to be white.

Critics of Newton have complained about his dances, questioned
his leadership and — in multiple letters to the Charlotte
Observer — complained that he hadn’t married his son’s mother.

Though Marshall doesn’t think that race is at the heart of the
criticism around Newton, he did compliment the quarterback for
speaking out about how he felt.

“I commend him because back in the day our athletes and
entertainers used to be civil rights leaders. They used to speak
up,” Marshall said. “But now, the business has taken over. You
have these brands like Under Armour, Nike and Beats by Dre and
the yogurt thing (Dannon) that he endorsed. They come in, they
tell you, ‘You know what, just be a good boy, shut your mouth
and collect your check.’”

“I am one of those guys that, if I have an opinion I’m going to
to say it. I guess that’s why I’m on my fourth team,” Marshall
added with a smile.

With regard to Newton’s famous post-touchdown dance moves,
Marshall seemed conflicted. First he said, “I don’t want my
quarterback dancing. I’m from the old school ... I want my
quarterbacks to get back in the huddle and lead us.”

Then Marshall reversed himself and complimented Newton. “But
what we have to understand is this is the new generation,” he
said. “This is what they’re doing next. They’re disruptive,
they’re disrespectful, they don’t give a damn about anyone, and
I kind of like it. Go back to when he was a rookie and he said,
‘I want to be an icon.’ You want to be an icon, you can’t stay
in the box, you have to get out of the box, you have to be
disruptive.”

Asked if he thought the dancing was a bit much, the wideout
said, “So too much? That’s the question. He’s 15-1. He’s the
MVP. He’s going to be the sixth African-American quarterback
leading his team to the Super Bowl. It’s working.”

Ultimately, Marshall seemed to come down in favor of Newton’s
moves, despite what the receiver said early in his interview.

“I love it, keep doing it, keep dancing,” he said.

Marshall was also asked if he thought the Jets were better than
the two teams in the Super Bowl. “Absolutely,” Marshall said.
But when he tried to elaborate on his explanation, the wideout
couldn’t keep a straight face, revealing that even Marshall knew
he was stretching the truth.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/race-isn-reason- people-don-cam-newton-marshall-article-1.2512783
 

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