Well, Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward just landed himself a new tag. He is now called out for being “selfish.” Who would have thought that the Pop-Tarts Bowl would leave such an ugly aftertaste for Ward? Mario Cristobal’s QB had remained silent for the most part of the Bowl. And that’s what gave rise to huge controversy. As analysts did not inch before stripping off Ward, Cam Newton stood out of the crowd. He was definitely Team Cam Ward. That’s when the NFL star thought of giving a clear picture of the college football star. He even called out the analyst who questioned Ward’s move. 

Things were going well for Cristobal’s program when the Hurricanes faced off against Iowa State. Ward did his best without compromising on his talents. He inked his name in the NCAA record books. In the first half, Ward threw his 156th career touchdown pass. With this, he became the all-time touchdown leader in Division I history. Sadly, that was not enough as the quarterback found himself in the midst of a firestorm of scathing criticism after sitting out the second half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

That’s because in the end, Miami fell 42-41 in a dramatic back-and-forth contest. However, there is still one legend who continues to stand beside Ward through his tumultuous times. And that’s none other than Newton. 

On the 4th&1 With Cam Newton podcast, the ex-Carolina Panthers quarterback unpacked the media backlash. He took a strong stand for Ward, claiming, “So don’t just put it about Cam Ward who had a selfish act. Yeah of course, yeah cool.” Instead, he puts the blame on the programs and the universities for not giving the players the bare minimum.

“What about the university and the colleges that don’t and haven’t had funds for players to go and give them everything health, passion and the best years of their lives?” charged Newton. Well, that’s true to some extent. After all, NFL provides insurance policies that cover various options. Whereas the NCAA provides a maximum of $3 million in insurance coverage for top college football players.

On Ward’s controversial decision, even HC Cristobal chose to be tight-lipped. In an interview with Adam Lichtenstein from South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Hurricanes HC claimed, “I think all meetings with players and decisions like that, we make them in private, and we keep them in private. So I’ll prefer not to answer questions as it relates to that. I know he played his best while he was in there.” Meanwhile, this was Newton’s best opportunity to shut up Emmanuel Acho, who criticized Ward for his move.    

Emmanuel Acho gets his answer after his take on Cam Ward

During the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Ward made use of the last chance to put up his final impression on the NFL. He was able to beat the record set by Case Keenum in 2011, resetting the all-time division-one passing touchdown record. However, he sat out the final two-quarters of the game when the score was 31-to-28 at the half. This came off as if the quarterback had “quit” on his team, leaving them in deep soup. 

Things aggravated when a video went viral of the Miami players that showed them involved in a scuffle on the sidelines. As Ward went missing, the fight erupted between two Hurricanes players: senior Simeon Barrow Jr. and freshman Marquise Lightfoot. As seen in the video, Barrow Jr. was spotted landing punches as Lightfoot shoved Barrow. That’s when defensive lineman Justin Scott tried to meddle in the fight. It came off as a shock to many college football fans, who immediately linked the players’ frustration with Ward’s absence.

Even the analysts believed so. As Emannuel Acho commented, “Cam, you stood on your teammates shoulders to break a record, but when they needed you to win the game, you were nowhere to be found.” And Cam Newton had an answer for Acho as he stated, “Bro Emmanuel Acho…I see what you’re saying but let’s stop looking through the peephole and kick the whole goddamn door down and realize that this whole world we live in is about me.” Even amidst this hoopla, Cam Ward still has the NFL light on him, as the New York Giants scouted him in the Pop-Tarts Bowl before the 2025 NFL Draft.