Former Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon told CBSSports.com that he believes some of the criticism of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton is based on racism.
In the latest edition of Pro Football Weekly, the magazine blasted the Heisman Trophy winner.
Under the list of negatives, the magazine wrote of Newton, "very disingenuous -- has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them."
The magazine also said that the former Tigers quarterback "lacks accountability, focus, and trustwothiness."
Moon said he doesn't think that NFL teams discriminate against Newton, but the public perception of him is completely wrong.
He compared the perception of Newton to recent draft bust Jamarcus Russell.
"A lot of the criticism he's receiving is unfortunate and racially based. I thought we were all past this. I don't see other quarterbacks in the draft being criticized by the media or fans about their smile or called a phony," Moon said. "He's being held to different standards from white quarterbacks. I thought we were past all this stuff about African-American quarterbacks, but I guess we're not."
He continued, "Of course there is racism in every walk of society. We've made a lot of progress in this country. But racism is still there. I just thought in the sports arena we were beyond it. I think the way Cam is being treated shows we're not."
"Some of these questions about Cam are more about his intellect. It's blatant racism, some of it," Moon also said.
Nolan Nawrocki, the author of Pro Football Weekly's draft profile, said that Moon's comments were absolutely absurd. Nawrocki also said that the magazine made similar comments last season about current Carolina Panthers quarterback Jimmy Clausen.
Cam Newton's father, Cecil, recently reached out to Moon, hoping that he would mentor his son and he could draw comparisons to Moon one day. Moon told the Newtons that they should hire George Whitfield, but he still agreed to mentor the future NFL player.
Last month, Peter King reported that Newton told him in a phone interview, "I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon."
At the combine last month in Indianapolis, Newton read a statement to try to clarify the comments he had made.
Moon told media personnel that all teams would have to do is watch tape and spend time with the quarterback and they would see the former Tiger is not "fake."
He would also say, "You can't be fake and win a national championship. The players will see through it. He's won at every level. He took that Auburn team to the national title and that team wasn't as talented as some other teams in the SEC."
Newton is expected to be taken early in April's draft.
He has already met or is scheduled to meet with nine teams before the draft on April 28-30.
His agent, Tony Paige, confirmed that the teams are the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Washington Redskins.
Only time will tell if the assumptions of Newton are true.
