Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon has been advising former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton as he prepares to enter the NFL. And Moon believes that much of the intense scrutiny and criticism that Newton has experienced arises from racism.

Mike Freeman spoke with Moon about Newton. Freeman says that Moon was “extremely angry” regarding the manner in which Newton is being treated.

“A lot of the criticism he’s receiving is unfortunate and racially based,” Moon told Freeman. “I thought we were all past this. I don’t see other quarterbacks in the draft being criticized by the media or fans about their smile or called a phony. He’s being held to different standards from white quarterbacks. I thought we were past all this stuff about African-American quarterbacks, but I guess we’re not.

“Of course there is racism in every walk of society. We’ve made a lot of progress in this country. But racism is still there. I just thought in the sports arena we were beyond it. I think the way Cam is being treated shows we’re not.