Cam Newton explains his long absence from the Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony amid Johnny Manziel's protest

Johnny Manziel will join Cam Newton in not attending the Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony in December. Manziel announced last week that he has decided not to attend until the Heisman Trust reinstates the 2005 trophy to former USC running back Reggie Bush.

However, Newton has a pretty different reason for his long-term absence from the presentation ceremony. Speaking on a recent episode of the “NFL Players Second Acts” podcast, the former Auburn quarterback cited his father as the reason for his absence all these years.

“I haven’t been to a Heisman event since I left, and it’s because they told my dad he couldn’t come to the ceremony. The biggest moment of my life, the most influential person of my life can’t share the biggest time of my life.”

Cam Newton’s career and the pay-for-play scandal

Cam Newton’s one-season career at Auburn was undoubtedly a brilliant one. The quarterback played the previous season at Blinn in the NJCAA after a tumultuous tenure at Florida. However, Newton went on to fulfill his incredible talent in his senior season with the Tigers.

Nonetheless, despite winning the Heisman Trophy, his career at Auburn was tainted by his Dad’s pay-for-play scandal. The NCAA allegedly found evidence that Cecil Newton solicited payment for his son's service. However, the quarterback claims his father did nothing wrong.

“My dad is such a strong figure in my life. He sacrificed a lot just so I could play. And if you remember that NCAA thing, somebody had to take a fall.”

“My dad: ‘I’ll jump on the grenade.’ Boom! He couldn’t come to any games. He was the bad guy, selling his son to get money. He didn’t do that. They just had to paint that to have a copout.”

Going further, Cam Newton went on to note that his father did what the average father would do in ensuring the athletic success of his son. The absence of his father at his Heisman presentation still hurts him.

“My dad ain’t no different than LaVar Ball. No different than Archie Manning. No different than King Richard. No different than Ja Morant’s father. No different than any hands-on father – Deion Sanders. And it’s like I still have a hard time looking at that award as something I just take pride in.”

Cam Newton is notably in full support of Johnny Manziel in the move to get Reggie Bush back his Heisman. The former Carolina Panthers quarterback will be out to help achieve that goal. Nonetheless, his absence from the presentation ceremony is borne out of something else.