Cam Newton apologizes for youth football brawl; Jason Whitlock has some advice



Famous quarterbacks like Cam Newton are apparently not immune from brawling at youth football tournaments.

The Carolina Panthers star was involved in such a brawl in Atlanta that a now-viral video shows Newton being shoved by three people near the top of a set of stairs.

While it appears that Newton was simply fending off the other men, he’s still taken it upon himself to apologize on his “4th and 1” podcast.

“I just let that situation escalate,” Newton said apologetically. “I scrambled, and I should have just stayed in the pocket, bro.”

“To every single high school player, to every single person of influence, to every single athlete — use my situation as a way to understand that in one moment, and one decision, your life can change just like that. And I let my emotions get the best of me,” Newton continued.

“We got to be better, and it starts with me,” he added.

Jason Whitlock is impressed.

“I have to applaud him. He took a lot of responsibility and said a lot of things that I really agreed with,” Whitlock says.

“He grew up in the church. He understands he has a responsibility to give back to serve young people, but he’s got eight kids,” Whitlock continues, noting that he’s still clearly trying to figure things out.

Whitlock has some advice for Newton, particularly on the way he dresses — which is quite flamboyant.

“There’s a level of sacrifice that’s required for leadership, and you want to be a leader,” he explains.

“Leadership is very humble, service is very humble. And so the person that comes in with the loudest suit and loudest style of dress and the loudest appearance, there’s no humility in that,” Whitlock says.


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Former NFL QB Cam Newton — who stands 6'5" — easily handles thugs who attack him at football camp; NFL icons blast assailants



In 2015, ESPN ran a story on then-Carolina Panthers signal-caller Cam Newton, noting that he's bigger than most defenders trying to sack or tackle him.

"Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 245 pounds, there aren’t many quarterbacks who are as physically imposing as Cam Newton," the piece began, adding that he's actually taller than 90% of the defenders in the league and outweighs just over half of them.

Fast forward to this weekend when multiple males actually jumped Newton at a football camp in Atlanta.

It isn't clear what strategy these fellas devised, if any. Given Newton is only 34 years old and last competed against NFL players only a few seasons ago, one can safely assume the sane among us wouldn't mess with someone of his still-sturdy stature.

But mess with Newton they did — at least they tried. Yup, the former number-one draft pick and All-Pro handled his attackers with ease, fending off their swatting, swarming, and shoving.

Here's a clip of the action. Newton's the noticeably taller dude wearing the fancy hat — which never came off despite the whirlwind of activity the shorties around him doled out.

Content warning: language:

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What are the details?

According to the Athletic, the Sunday scuffle occurred during a 7-on-7 football event for under-15 and under-18 players, and Newton is the founder of C1N, a program that participated in the event.

The outlet said individuals involved with TopShelf Performance — a wide receiver training facility in Atlanta that also had youth teams at the event — approached Newton at the top of a set of steps. The Athletic said Newton was grabbed, and the fight was on.

A source with knowledge of elite 7-on-7 football told the outlet two men seen fighting with Newton were both coaches for TopShelf Performance and formerly coached with Newton. The clip shows the pair converging on him — after which, Newton quickly gains control and manhandles one of them across a grassy area. Police and security guards broke up the fight, the Athletic said.

A co-founder of the group that sponsored the event told the outlet that all those involved in the fight — even Newton — were kicked out, and that TopShelf beat C1N in a “heated game” Saturday with a lot of trash talk between the under-18 teams and tensions boiled over Sunday.

The Athletic added that Newton’s representatives didn't immediately respond to messages Sunday evening, and the Atlanta Police Department declined to provide information.

Former NFL stars speak out

A number of former NFL players weren't short on words about the altercation, and they appeared to defend Newton while blasting his attackers.

Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and All-Pro receiver Chad Johnson sounded off during their “Nightcap” podcast, the New York Post said.

“Y’all think that’s cute [to tell Newton he’s trash]. It’s not,” Sharpe according to the Post. “It’s really embarrassing that somebody takes time out of their day… and try to give back and you’re disrespectful, ungrateful. Cam is way better than me because I don’t have patience for my own kids disrespecting me. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let somebody else’s kid disrespect me.”

Johnson added, “Knowing Cam like I do…. he’s not going to allow this to bother him. When you have someone like Cam Newton giving players an opportunity to display themselves at these 7-on-7 camps, you’re supposed to be taking advantage of these situations. Many times I’ve seen players, coaches, and parents disrespect Cam Newton at these camps," the paper said.

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III added that Newton is "used to being a one-man army, so you are delulu if you thought some guys jumping him was gonna phase him. Hat didn’t even move," the Post said.

Griffin added, "In all seriousness, I HATE seeing this. Cam Newton nor anyone should ever be disrespected in this way. How can we rise, do better for our communities, and change the narrative when we are attacking each other like this?" the paper noted.

Here are some other reactions:

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First ever transgender cheerleader added to Carolina Panthers squad



The Carolina Panthers will debut the first-ever openly transgender NFL cheerleader for its TopCats team this upcoming football season.

What are the details?

Justine Lindsay, 29, said that she is the NFL's very first transgender cheerleader — a "big" moment that she said made her proud to "break down that door."

“This is big,” she told BuzzFeed News during a recent interview. “I think more people need to see this. It’s not because I want recognition. It’s just to shed light on what’s going on in the world.”

In March, Lindsay took to Instagram where she made the announcement.

"Cats Out the Bag," she wrote at the time. "You are looking at the newest member of the Carolina Panthers TopCats Cheerleader’s @topcats as the first Transgender female."

"I would like to thank the beautiful and talented dancers who supported me along the way alumni TopCats family and friends for your love and support," she continued. "I would not have gotten to this moment in my life if it wasn’t for the support. Also to my beautiful coach @chandalaelanouette you are a special being that I truly cherish thank you taking that leap of faith on me to be apart of your legacy and so many others. This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show you all what this girl has to bring. Thank you @topcats a dream come true."

Lindsay explained that while she initially worried that her announcement would bring negative and unwanted attention, social media rallied around her and offered their support.

What else is there to know about this?

Chandalae Lanouette, director for the TopCats team, said that Lindsay's athletic prowess earned her a coveted spot on the Panthers' cheerleading squad.

“My goal is to create a team of individuals that are absolute fire on the field but are incredible human beings in the locker room, good friends, good people, and at the end of the day, you have to walk through the door first to get to that spot,” Lanouette told BuzzFeed in an interview.