The way Jalen Hurts is viewed all of a sudden has been a bit different from other quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl. Sadly, it has gotten to the point where this stuff doesn’t even make sense anymore. It feels like guys are talking just to talk and Hurts is taking too much heat than he deserves.
However, former star Cam Newton thinks a lot of it is deserved. Hurts has built a name as one of the more low-key people in the NFL, always saying the right things for the Philadelphia Eagles after the game. However, Newton questioned whether that would be the same if Hurts carried himself differently.
“If Jalen Hurts had the persona of AJ Brown, people would be crucified," Newton said on the "4th & 1 with Cam Newton" podcast, H/T USA Today. "I mean, golly... If Jalen Hurts had the persona of Shedeur Sanders, they would be crucified."
While Newton’s point wasn’t really about Hurts’ play and was more about how he shows himself to the public, it’s tough to agree with anything he said. Hurts is who he is and we can’t go around saying what ifs when we see how he acts. Of course, players who act out more are going to get less of a leash in the media and the fans' eyes rather than Hurts.
“He’s the face of Jumpman. He’s the face of Sprite. You understand what I’m saying? And even in those commercials, he ain’t too much talking," Newton said, adding: “He’s the David Beckham of football. When have you ever heard David Beckham talk?”
Newton is trying to hint at a double standard that doesn’t exist. Again, if Hurts came out and started blasting his teammates to the media like A.J. Brown has done countless times, we could have a different conversation. Hurts does NOT do this, so I don’t get why it has to be a conversation.
The former Carolina Panthers quarterback has been outspoken and likes to go on rants about a ton of things. At this point, this feels like one of those moments for Newton.