Cam Newton already has nice gesture for Panthers fans

The Carolina Panthers have struggled for relevance since Cam Newton left the franchise in 2020. Now Newton is back, and he is already trying to reconnect with the fans.

Newton announced Thursday that he is giving away 50 tickets to Sunday’s game against Washington to people who don’t normally have the opportunity to attend Panthers games. It’s all part of Newton’s plan to “reclaim Bank of America Stadium” and fulfill some things he wished he’d done during his first stint with the Panthers.

“Simple and plain, I only know one Bank of America Stadium. So with that being said, this is a challenge for people to make my kind of prophecy correct,” Newton said, via Adam Maya of NFL.com. “I said there’s no other place in football that I would rather be on Sunday than Bank of America Stadium because it will be a playoff atmosphere for more ways than one. Discredit who I am and what this game means to me, discredit who we’re playing and what that game means to them. Let’s get back to getting that edge and bringing the pride back to Carolina, how I once knew it to be.”

Newton is familiar with the stadium’s glory days. That was particularly true in 2015, when the Panthers went 10-0 at home between the regular season and playoffs en route to the Super Bowl. With the Panthers 5-5 and in the hunt for a playoff spot, Newton wants that home dominance to return.

It’s worth noting that Newton hasn’t even been confirmed as Sunday’s starter yet. That said, it looks like an inevitability, and it should be quite the occasion.

Photo: Aug 22, 2019; Foxborough, MA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) warms up prior to the start of a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports