s.i. piece on andrew luck, 6/13 issue...

austin murphy confirms my thoughts: kid's 2 good 2 be true but comes off like the genuine article.

 

I'm just waiting for the academic fraud at Stanford story to come out.

In case you guys were wondering: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1187118/index.htm

 

good job. i read it in the real magazine; forgot it was probably available on-line to be posted. very helpful. 8)

 

Myself, I'm 2 legit 2 quit

 

Nice piece. And now I must pause and wonder what might have been. *sigh*

(Note to Cam Newton: Andrew Luck couldn't care less about being an "entertainer/icon." And he actually wants to learn and do other things besides be a quarterback ... the freaking nerve ... )

 

Great piece, but I always thought the Chuckie tag was because of how Gruden looked -- just like Chucky.

 

true dat. but it was the look in combo with his expressions when, um, perplexed.

 

Good story on someone with a good set of values, and I'd hope my son would make the same choice if he ever had that much good fortune, but comparing him to Newton is unfair. Look at the way they were brought up. And look at what happens if they don't make it big: Newton has destroyed his family's hopes of wealth, while Luck's family has no need for his money. The entertainer/icon stuff is annoying, but as to the rest of it -- similar to Peyton Manning coming back and doing it "the right way" -- not everyone has that luxury.

 

Comparing Andrew Luck to Cam Newton is entirely fair in this instance. No question Luck would have been the No. 1 pick had he come out ... Jerry Richardson all but said he would take Luck with the pick, and somehow, I have my doubts that Marty Hurney would have argued on that call.

Using one's upbringing as an excuse is a tired one. I've covered kids with much worse upbringings. Not all of them have delusions of being an "entertainer/icon," not all of them cheat in school, not all of them steal laptops and not all of them have father selling their sons for stacks of cash to the highest bidder. But again ... using one's upbringing is no excuse.

People with better resources than Andrew Luck had have blown their opportunities, while others with less than Cam Newton had flourish. Doesn't excuse anything Newton has done.

Maybe Newton will grow up, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I'm not sure what "excuse" Cam Newton needs for being the No. 1 pick in the draft. I'm just saying he and Luck were in such vastly different positions that they really weren't even facing the same decision. I've yet to see a guy return for another year when his family wasn't already very well-off.

 

I didn't hear anything about Tim Duncan's family being wealthy. Granted, that's crossing sports, but with some, they know the money will be there if they're that good.

Duncan has turned out fine. Luck probably will, too. We'll see if Newton grows up or becomes the next Akili Smith. He could potentially grow up and still be a spectacular bust. Hope I'm wrong, but given that the NFL Draft is based on production moreso than the NBA, NHL or MLB drafts, this one is an even wilder guess than most.

 

I don't think that's true. He's already earned $1 million with an endorsement deal with Under Armor, likely will sign a contract worth at least $30 million guaranteed as the first-overall pick, and will probably get another couple million in endorsements. That's if he's horrible. I could live off that.