Heisman should be about more than on-field prowess

Remember when the Heisman Trophy used to mean something?

That beautiful trophy once stood for an individual much more than a football player— it was a symbol of excellence.

According to a statement by the Heisman Trust on Heisman.com, the bronze-cast award “recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

Cam Newton and RG III seemed to be the obvious candidates when they received the special award, but how about the last two years of winners? I’m talking about Johnny “Football” Manziel and Jameis Winston.

For as much as I know, I’ve never seen integrity steal crab legs from a super market. From what I’ve seen in life, excellence doesn’t get plastered out of its mind in Vegas. I’ve never known “outstanding” to be classified as shouting profanities from the table tops in a student center.

These college football players have been chosen by a committee to represent this sport, as a poster child to all the kids across the country, as one who they should strive to be. Really? Would I ever turn to my kid while watching the game and say, “Son, you need to be more like Jameis Winston. He’s a class act!”

The worst thing we could say in this society is, “Hey, this kid is a real stand-up kinda guy, let’s give him an award.”

Now I know we’ve had blunders in the past, Heisman winners who didn’t turn out to be the people we thought they were. Players like O.J. Simpson and Reggie Bush sure looked the part but turned out a little wonky in the end, whereas with Bo Jackson or Barry Sanders, we may have gotten it right.

Did you ever have that one kid on the team, for whatever sport you played, who was always the one person in the world you would’ve loved to punch in the face? He was such a tool, the biggest tool in the tool shed, but he was so dang good. Coach loved him for some reason, everyone at school wanted to be friends with him, but you knew. You knew, didn’t you?

I know that you knew, because you and I were the middle-of-the-pack, excited to play varsity type of people. We could spot a Johnny Manziel or Jameis Winston from the other end zone, and that would be because we could smell their “swag”.

My advice to this Heisman Trust committee? Let’s pick a player who doesn’t make college football look bad. Is it too much to ask for a poster child who isn’t a colossal let down?