Cam Newton shared a sobering realization about his time playing at Florida under Urban Meyer before his Heisman-winning season at Auburn in 2010. Newton revealed that Meyer didn’t communicate with him, leading him to feel undervalued. He expressed during the Club Shay Shay podcast with Shannon Sharpe, “Urban was — he didn’t want to talk to me. I wasn’t important enough for Urban to talk to me.” Newton reflected on the situation, questioning if he even had a platform to voice his concerns when the focus was on the Heisman frontrunner. This experience prompted Newton to reconsider his situation and have a conversation with his father about his next steps.
Newton depicted the atmosphere behind the scenes in Gainesville as reminiscent of the Billy Martin-era New York Yankees: characterized by plentiful victories amid ongoing internal discord. He described the locker room as “very toxic” despite the team’s success, attributing it to a blend of abundant talent reaching a boiling point. Newton acknowledged the challenging dynamics, noting moments of unmanageability interspersed with instances of competitive beauty, where daily practices were marked by intense competition.
Dan Mullen tried to sabotage Cam Newton’s Auburn decision with allegations of taking money
Dan Mullen, another former head coach at Florida, posed a different challenge for Newton compared to Meyer. Mullen allegedly contributed to the difficulties by not keeping silent and instead spreading false rumors about Newton receiving money from Auburn after choosing to play for them over Mullen’s Mississippi State Bulldogs. Notably, it wasn’t solely Mullen who purported such falsehoods; his wife Megan was also reportedly involved in spreading misinformation aimed at tarnishing Newton’s reputation after he opted for Auburn over Mississippi State.
Newton’s decision to attend Auburn was indeed monumental, leading to immense success and adoration as he achieved the seemingly impossible feat of winning a championship, going undefeated, and elevating his game to become the NFL’s top draft pick. However, it’s clear that his journey was not without its challenges and obstacles along the way.