USA TODAY International Edition
Newton’s race could become issue if Pats lose
NFL player and officials hope the extremism other athletes of color faced in Boston doesn’t happen to him if Patriots fail to make playoffs.
Patriots quarterback Cam Newton likely isn’t considering the question, the question others are thinking about, the question that involves race, sports and Boston, three components that often combine into a toxic potion.
Newton might not be thinking about it, but others are, and the question goes like this: If Newton’s tenure in New England falters, will Patriots fans see Newton as solely a failed quarterback or, because of Boston’s historically ugly racial dynamics, will he be viewed as a failed Black quarterback?
NFL players, several team officials across the NFL and even some in the league office have wondered what it would be like for Newton playing in one of the more racially hostile environments for African American athletes in the country. The concern wasn’t just how his initial reception would go with fans, but also how they’d react if the Patriots failed to make the playoffs.
Some of those same people say they are holding their breath now watching Newton, and hoping the extremism other athletes of color faced in Boston doesn’t happen to him as the Patriots might miss the postseason for the first time since 2008.
The Patriots are 4- 6 and Newton, who missed one game after the NFL placed him on the reserve/ COVID- 19 list, continues to struggle in the passing game. He has four TD passes and seven interceptions on the season. Newton does have nine rushing scores.
If you think the question is unfair, hysterics or too hypothetical, you haven't paid attention to what's been happening in Boston for decades. Not just the distant past, either, but now.
Celtics great Bill Russell spoke in August about the racial abuse he endured as a player. Years after Russell, another Celtics player, Marcus Smart, detailed numerous racist incidents he experienced, including being called a racial slur right outside the team's home arena. The Red Sox were forced to apologize to Orioles outfielder Adam Jones in 2017 after fans hurled slurs and peanuts at him during a game.
The incidents of racism in Boston sports got so bad, and so numerous, The Boston Globe's Spotlight investigative team examined the history of racism and slurs directed at athletes of color. Boston's racism was even part of “Saturday Night Live” in 2017.
“I always worry that with ( Newton), if it doesn't work out, some fans in Boston will say, ‘ See, you shouldn't have wasted money on that Black quarterback,' ” said Saida Grundy, an assistant professor of sociology and African American studies at Boston University and member of the school's Center for Antiracist Research.
Courtney Cox, a professor of race and sports at the University of Oregon, compared Newton's potential situation to that of European soccer players like “( Karim) Benzema who say, ‘ When I score, I'm French. When I don't, I'm an Arab.' I think ( Romelu) Lukaku and ( Mesut) Ozil have said similar things ( with) winning as a means of full acceptance and citizenship and losing, as relegation to, ‘ Other.' The racial history of the quarterback position, coupled with Boston's history, seemingly compound that potential rhetoric.”
“Black quarterbacks are still judged differently, often harsher,” said Kenneth Shropshire, the CEO of Arizona State University's Global Sports Institute, and author of “In Black and White: Race and Sports in America.” “In ( Newton's) case you can't overlook the history of Boston.”
Grundy said she believes that Boston's racial history is so problematic it's possible Newton got “the talk.”
“I think a lot of Black people when it comes to Boston have had ‘ the talk,' ” said Grundy. “When you're Black and move to Boston you get ‘ the talk' about where you can go safely, where you can't, the sundown parts of town. We all get that talk. I'm sure ( Newton) got it, too.”
If it wasn't hard enough to be a Black quarterback in Boston, Newton follows Tom Brady, winner of six Super Bowls and three MVP awards and is the greatest quarterback of all time.
After nine Super Bowl appearances, nine conference championships and 17 AFC East titles since 2001, the Patriots are in third place in the division. They are only ahead of the 0- 10 Jets. A depleted roster is one reason, while Newton's at- times subpar play is another.
He's still Cam Newton. He's still electric and dangerous. Still, what's clear is the way New England runs its offense might not be sustainable and usually, in these instances, when things go bad the quarterback gets the blame, despite other reasons for the Patriots' mediocrity.
Which brings us back to the question: If the Patriots can't rescue their season, will his Blackness become part of the equation with Boston fans and others?
Meanwhile, inside the Patriots' locker room, he's immensely respected.
“Cam, he's never wavered from his work ethic, from his attitude, from the way he approaches practice, the effort he gives on a daily basis,” said Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. . “Whether it be a meeting, a film session, a walkthrough or any part of what we're doing on the field, he is unselfish, he is accountable for any mistake he makes, he's incredibly honest. Communication with Cam is exactly the kind of communication you're looking for when you're a coach. You ask a question, you get an honest response. If you made a mistake, he'll tell you what it was, which again, there's no better example for younger players, than to see a guy do that.”
Yet outside of New England others around the league watch Newton, wondering how he'll be treated by fans if the team doesn't make the postseason, with one eye focused on Newton, and the other on Boston's history.