Cam Newton’s character is under fire once again, and we still have a month to go before the official start of training camp.
Booger McFarland, a former NFL defensive tackle who now works for the SEC Network, was discussing Newton on Thursday when he dropped a very powerful piece of supposed inside information.
Whoa. @SECBooger on Cam Newton: "People I talk to in Carolina tell me Cam's not a leader and not well liked by a lot of his teammates."
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) June 22, 2017
This certainly isn’t the first time Newton’s leadership has been called into question, but many of the criticisms that are thrown around are completely baseless. McFarland didn’t really elaborate, but he did sent this tweet a while later:
Opinions change over the course of over 1-1/2 years especially when u get inside info folks
— Booger (@SECbooger) June 22, 2017
NFL reporter Jonathan Jones insists what McFarland said is “simply not true.”
I'm seconds away from leaving for a trip so I don't have the time but for the record that's simply not true
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) June 22, 2017
We’ve criticized Newton in the past for acting like a sore loser, and he deserved it with the way he acted when the Panthers lost Super Bowl 50. However, it’s tough to think of any instances that would make you think Newton’s teammates don’t like or respect him. One report a few years back indicated Steve Smith had some issues with Newton, but those were related to Newton’s play on the field — not his character. Unless McFarland wants to provide some actual evidence, his so-called “inside info” seems like a cheap shot.
