Newton isn't disappointed by dad's decision

Cam Newton strolled into the room Friday, flanked by the three other Heisman finalists. At 3:09 p.m. he took his spot behind the coveted cast bronze trophy and flashed his trademark smile at the cameras. And within minutes of sitting down, he was talking about his father.

Newton, the Auburn quarterback and Heisman favorite, said he is not disappointed in his father, Cecil, who the NCAA believes tried to get Mississippi State to pay him in exchange for having his son play there. The media scrutiny apparently became so intense, Cecil Newton released a statement Thursday saying he would not attend Saturday's Heisman award ceremony.

"He's my father," the quarterback said from a conference room at the New York Marriott Marquis. "I said on numerous occasions how I feel about my father. I love him with all my heart. It hurts but that's the decision that he made."

Newton, whose playful demeanor only turned serious during his near 15-minute sitdown with reporters when answering questions about his dad, added that his mother and two brothers will be in attendance.

His journey from being Tim Tebow's backup at Florida, to a junior college quarterback and now an expected Heisman winner, has been decorated by dazzling highlight reels of speed and accuracy, yet marred by off-the-field allegations. "I'd be lying if I said I haven't," Newton said when asked if he was upset at any point by the media's portrayal of him. "I have. But have I been for a long time? No. I thank God for putting me in a lot of situations because a person can get stronger by adversity."

To know Cam Newton is to love him, said the 21-year-old.

"I think he's a good guy and if some people break down the football barrier of who I really am, they'll find out a lot more than they've been getting in the recent past," Newton said.

A year ago to the day, he said he was on his official visit to Auburn. "I went from one year ago to visit and [see] the best that Auburn has," said Newton, "and now a year later I'm seeing what New York has to offer."

Newton also addressed the issue of college players being compensated in other ways besides scholarships.

"I think it's perfect as it is," he said of the system. "I think there has to be some type of boundaries that the NCAA has to set and I think so far those boundaries have been set and they're doing an excellent job of that."