Cam Newton issued his first public response to viral video of his involvement in a fight at a youth football camp.
In a new episode of his “4th and 1” podcast, Newton took responsibility for the incident, saying he “let my emotions get the best of me” and that there was “no excuse” for his actions.
“I apologize to anybody affected. That’s Steph, that’s TJ, that’s their organization, that’s C1N, — my organization — my players, my parents, my staff members,” Newton said, via Mark Puleo of The Athletic. ‘There’s no excuse, there’s really not. It could’ve been a melee, more violence could’ve stemmed from that, and it’s just not called for.”
Newton admitted that he felt he let down his youth players, as he could not tell them to control their emotions when he could not do the same with his own.
“I think about the kids that look up to me, and whether they verbalize their appreciation or just stare in amazement, I feel like I let them down,” Newton said. “Because I can’t sit up here and say, ‘Hey bro, you gotta be bigger than that’ and then all of a sudden I do that. That just goes to show you, you gotta always stay in control of your emotions.”
Newton appeared to be largely defending himself in video of the fight that went viral over the weekend. One of the other youth organizations involved accused him of being the instigator, however, and Newton’s apology certainly implies he was not just playing peacemaker.
The 34-year-old Newton was out of the NFL last season after a brief return to the Carolina Panthers in 2021.
