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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WOW: Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless ERUPT in BIZARRE on-air dispute over Tom Brady



Jason Whitlock, Steve Kim, and T.J. Moe react to a bizarre moment when Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe go at each other in an explosive on-air exchange during a discussion about Tom Brady. There are no words to describe the meltdown adequately. Video below.


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Jason Whitlock calls out Shannon Sharpe over racist watermelon outrage: 'I know it's a gimmick'



Outkick sports writer Jason Whitlock grilled Shannon Sharpe after the Hall of Fame tight end insinuated Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was being racially insensitive by smashing watermelons in order to motivate his team.

McCarthy reportedly pulled out a sledgehammer and smashed watermelons with different objectives written on them during the Cowboys' team meeting Saturday night ahead of their matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The stunt was an imitation of prop comic Gallagher and the players reportedly loved it. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence even got involved, taking a turn swinging the sledgehammer.

But Sharpe didn't think the stunt was funny. He blasted McCarthy on Tuesday, saying, "Dear white America, any time you have black people in your presence, watermelon has a negative connotation."

Whitlock sounds off

"I'm not sure what Shannon Sharpe is thinking," Whitlock said Wednesday, filling in for BlazeTV's Glenn Beck on his radio show. "Who lives this way ... constantly looking for something to be offended by?"

"The Dallas Cowboys, like most of the NFL, 70% probably [are] black players on that roster. DeMarcus Lawrence, the defensive lineman gets up [and] smashes the watermelon, too," he continued. "It didn't mean a damn thing to them because they're not thinking of, 'How can I be controversial on TV' and 'How can I accuse a white person of being racist?'

"That's not a common thought for most people," he added.

Jason Whitlock: "REPULSIVE" to Suggest Dallas Cowboys Coach is Racist for Watermelon Stunt youtu.be

What else?

Whitlock defended McCarthy against the baseless attack and went even further to make the case that Sharpe's outrage was actually disingenuous.

"Mike McCarthy, I've known him for years. I've been a critic of him as a football coach," Whitlock noted. "But there is not a shred of evidence that he's racist ... and to just willy-nilly throw in that tag on him to get through a television segment is repulsive to me.

"I've known Shannon Sharpe just as long," he continued. "And I know it's a gimmick. I know he doesn't believe it."

Whitlock, who has always been outspoken about racial and political issues, has been making headlines this week. On Tuesday, he went on an emotional tear, explaining how modern-day liberals are the "ideological descendants" of slaveholders and accused them of "imposing mental slavery" on black people.

Sports Writer: "REPULSIVE" to Suggest Dallas Cowboys Coach is Racist for Watermelon Stunt

Sports Writer: "REPULSIVE" to Suggest Dallas Cowboys Coach is Racist for Watermelon Stunt

Shannon Sharpe blasts Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy for watermelon stunt



Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was heavily criticized by sports commentator Shannon Sharpe Tuesday morning after McCarthy used a sledgehammer and a watermelon to motivate his players to win their Sunday match against the Minnesota Vikings.

McCarthy reportedly pulled out a sledgehammer during Saturday night's team meeting and smashed watermelons, mimicking the prop comic Gallagher, to inspire his players to "hammer the ball" out of Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook's hands. NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero recounted the stunt Monday.

#Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy pulled out a sledgehammer during Saturday night’s team meeting and smashed watermelons… https://t.co/5LAWxAmFvr
— Tom Pelissero (@Tom Pelissero)1606167522.0

"Mike McCarthy gets up and says, 'Guys, I want to apologize. I don't think I did a good enough job emphasizing our objectives for the week' — one of which was to hammer the ball out of [Minnesota running back] Dalvin Cook's hands," Pelissero said. "At that point McCarthy pulls out a sledgehammer, not a prop, a full sledgehammer you could knock a wall down with, and someone rolls in a bunch of watermelons."

"Each one has a different objective written on it," Pelissero added. "McCarthy reads the objective — BAM! — smashes the watermelon. He goes down the row doing this. The players are roaring, McCarthy's pants are soaked. He finally gets to the watermelon with Dalvin Cook's picture on it, DeMarcus Lawrence jumps up and goes, 'I've got to get that one.' He hands the sledgehammer to Lawrence, he smashes that watermelon."

Fun, right? Not according to Fox Sports 1's Shannon Sharpe. Discussing the Cowboys' team meeting on "Undisputed," Sharpe said "I don't think it's fun."

"Dear white America, any time you have black people in your presence, watermelon has a negative connotation," he continued.

"Yep," Skip Bayless agreed.

Mike McCarthy hits watermelons with a sledgehammer to amp up the Cowboys.Shannon Sharpe: Watermelon is racist tow… https://t.co/1Y5mKQgWeN
— David Hookstead (@David Hookstead)1606242903.0

"Let it go," Sharpe went on. "Things that were acceptable many, many years ago, even though it wasn't acceptable, it was tolerated, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Find another tool, another mechanism to motivate your players. Black players: If you need somebody, a white man smashing watermelons, to get you motivated, you're in the wrong line of business. It's not funny. It's not cute."

Sharpe began yelling:

I don't get these young guys anymore, I really don't. Because there ain't no way in hell Mike Shanahan, Dan Reeves, Wade Phillips, or any of my coaches could have ever brought a watermelon and ... what!? And you think that's cool? And he bragged about it!

If you ain't going to a picnic, if you ain't going to a cookout or a barbecue, man you better not have no watermelons coming up in there talking about we smashing this.

I don't know what Mike McCarthy was thinking. And I don't know what those black players in the locker room was thinking allowing him to do that to them.

"Agreed," Bayless said.