Cam Newton shares thoughts on Colin Kaepernick protest

Cam Newton shared his thoughts on Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest recently and is being criticized by some for his mostly neutral responses.

Newton sat down for an interview with ESPN’s Trey Wingo and talked about Kaepernick protesting the national anthem in an effort to call attention to the mistreatment by police officers of some African-Americans. Newton did not really take a stance on the matter, although he did say Kaepernick has a right to express his opinion.

Here’s a clip from the interview:

“What I can’t fathom is how does 1/8 of an inch, something so small, be the difference in such a big commodity in our whole lifetime, and that’s the thickness of our skin,” Newton said. “And under that, we’re all the same color. And that’s the big picture.

“A lot of scrutiny happens when the athletes start talking about race, but the truth of the matter is we just gotta do right by each other, no matter what color you are. Certain things that has happened in our life, in our lifetime, is kind of embarrassing to be affiliated with, but it still happens. Who am I to say ‘Colin you’re wrong.’ And who am I to say, you’re right. We all have the right to think whatever we want to think.”

Newton was taken to task by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who says the reigning NFL MVP was being too protective of his brand to truly share an opinion on the subject. Others called out Newton for tap-dancing around the issue.

Meanwhile, Kaepernick’s protest took a turn on Thursday when the 49ers quarterback issued a statement about his police pig socks.