Cam Newton thinks he has received a raw deal from the Carolina Panthers, as the team has not honored him since he stopped playing in the NFL.
After watching a video of several of his former teammates attending the Panthers’ recent game in Berlin, Newton said on his “4th and 1” podcast that he felt erased by the franchise, noting that he had not even been invited to any such alumni events or ambassadorial functions. He accused the Panthers of not embracing his legacy, and suggested the organization was hiding behind the excuse that he has not officially retired from the NFL. Specifically, the former MVP recounted a story from when he hosted a 7-on-7 tournament in Charlotte, and when visiting the Panthers’ facility with his son, he realized that there were no references to him and his tenure anywhere.
“At this particular point in time, the question was, ‘Oh, we don’t know if Cam’s retired.’ News flash: I’m never going to retire,” Newton said. “I know I’ve played my last piece of football. It don’t matter to me to officially retire.
“A couple years ago, I had initiatives that I brought to the forefront to the Carolina Panthers. I said, ‘Yo, I’m really taking this media s–t seriously. … We’re approaching, at this time, it was five years since the 2015 season. I was like, we could do a two-for-one. I can talk to Luke Kuechly. I can talk to Thomas Davis. I can talk to Greg Olsen, unfiltered, in a way in front of an audience that we can just share stories. This could be the perfect way to pass the torch to Bryce Young. I think the fans would like that. Did that get pushed through?
“When I see certain things happen like this, I didn’t even know certain opportunities even existed. Did it hurt my feelings? Yeah, it did. I gave this city everything.”
The real reason why the @Panthers are avoiding Cam Newton's legacy…
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— 4thand1show (@4thand1show) November 14, 2024
There is no reason for the Panthers not to fully embrace Newton. He may not officially be retired, and there may be some administrative barriers as a result of that, but the team could presumably square those away.
Newton won MVP in 2015 and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl, though he never quite reached those heights again. His burgeoning media career is another pretty clear indication that he is done playing, even if he will not formalize that.
