Alabama and Georgia fans unite in booing Cam Newton at SEC Championship Game
By David Wasson
Published:
If there is one thing Alabama Crimson Tide fans and the Georgia Bulldogs faithful can agree on, it is their still-simmering distaste for former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton.
Yes, that’s the assembled at Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Saturday’s SEC Championship Game uniting in raining boos on Newton when he was introduced along with other SEC legends before the Alabama-Georgia title matchup.
Newton was born and raised in Atlanta and was offered a scholarship by Georgia in 2006, but he instead committed to Florida as part of the Gators’ top-rated 2007 recruiting class. Newton played at Florida in 2007 and 2008 before being suspended from the team following an arrest on felony charges of burglary, larceny, and obstruction of justice on an accusation that he stole a laptop computer from another Florida student.
Newton spent 2009 at Blinn College in Texas before a controversial recruitment by Auburn for the 2010 season. Newton led the Tigers to the 2010 SEC championship and captured the 2010 Heisman Trophy. Auburn would complete Newton’s only season on the Plains by beating Oregon 22-19 to win the 2010 BCS National Championship.
As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Newton played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. He led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 and won the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player Award before retiring in 2021.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
