Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said he was disappointed in himself for losing control of his emotions last weekend during a 7-on-7 youth football tournament in Atlanta, resulting in a short fight involving several men from competing teams.
A 22-second video of 34-year-old Newton surfaced on Sunday involved in an argument with at least three other men outside a school at the tournament. Newton didn’t throw any punches and appeared to try to fend off some attackers.
The incident was quickly broken up by a police officer and security.
“I’m disappointed in myself for allowing it to escalate to what it did and I apologize for that,” Newton said. said Friday on his 4th and 1st podcast. “The truth is this: Because I’m in my position, I should never have put myself in that position. That’s just the truth. That could have gotten really ugly.”
The 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player and former Carolina Panthers signal caller also apologized to the kids who looked up to him.
“I feel like I let them down,” Newton said. “Because I can’t sit up here and say, ‘Hey brother, you gotta be bigger than that,’ and then all of a sudden I do. That just goes to show that you should always stay in control of your emotions.”
Newton, a native of Atlanta, leads the football organization C1N, which was founded in 2021 and focuses on developing the skills of young athletes in football by providing opportunities to compete at the highest level through 7-on-7 tournaments and other events.
The former Heisman Trophy winner often attends national tournaments to support his players in different age categories, and even hosts some events under the C1N brand.
Newton said nonsense this weekend during a game between him and former members of his C1N organization that was carried off the football field and led to the altercation.
“There was a lot of talk on both sides — on all sides, let’s put it that way,” Newton said. “I don’t want to point fingers and say this person said that or that person said that. Do I mean this is the first time it happened or the last time it happened? It is something that begins with words and should have ended with words.”
Newton said he’s glad the incident didn’t get worse.
“There’s really no excuse,” Newton said. “It could have been an argument. Even more violence could have resulted. It’s just not necessary.”
Newton said he also regrets the incident because he believes it perpetuates a stereotype he doesn’t like.
“It reflects something that has been pervasive for years: Black people,” Newton said. “Why do I have to be at a Black event, you know what I mean? And I could easily play the victim, and I’m not going to do that. I’m going to hold myself to the same standard.”
Newton, who has not played in the NFL since 2021, said on the podcast that he is used to dealing with criticism.
He said that sometimes comes in the form of him failing to jump on a loose ball in the Panthers’ Super Bowl 50 loss to the Denver Broncos in 2016, losing his job to Mac Jones in New England or due to his perceived negative comments about San. Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
“I’m used to playing in front of a hundred thousand people and seeing millions of people, and I let one person dictate how I feel? No, I can’t do that. But I did that day,” Newton said.
Newton said he hopes the incident will be a learning experience for young athletes and those who look up to him.
“This is what I really want the story to be,” Newton said. “To every high school player, to every person I have influenced and to every athlete, use my situation as a way to understand that your life can change in just one moment and one decision. I let my emotions get the better of me.”