How often is it that a Most Valuable Player (MVP) winning quarterback that led his team to a Super Bowl appearance gets shown the front door by a franchise that selected him with the first overall pick? The answer is never — unless you’re Cam Newton — one of the most disrespected athletes of all time.
The racial tones, baffling hot-takes and overall out-of-bounds analysis on Newton is hardly a new thing. In college, the far and away best player at the collegiate level, Newton, was chastised and even described as “disengenuos” and “having a fake smile” by Pro Football Weekly’s Nolan Nawrocki. Newton’s bravery, Superman-like stature and unapologetic blackness seem to rarely ever get a fair shake in the eyes of media members and NFL teams.
When he won the Heisman they yelled “he will never do it in the NFL,” when he was the MVP they yelled “he dances too much and is too cocky” and now that the injuries have unfortunately piled up on Newton the same naysayers are pronouncing his career to be over.
Whether you fall on the side of Newton supporter or detractor, one thing that can not be debated is the absurd handling of this divorce by the Carolina Panthers. Let’s take a look at just what Newton has meant to the organization on and off the field.
On the Field Production
For a franchise that has been around for 25 years, Newton is the best signal-caller they have ever had, and the numbers prove it. Many critics say Cam is a lousy passer of the football, so bad that he ranks No. 1 in Panther’s franchise history in passing yards and touchdowns. The second-place quarterback in each category, Jake Delhomme, trails Newton by 10,000 yards and 62 touchdowns.
Take Drew Brees for an example. One of the games best and most accomplished quarterbacks of all time. Brees holds some of the most heralded NFL records one could want including passing touchdowns and yards. Since Brees reinvented his career in New Orleans under the tutelage of offensive guru Sean Payton, the Saints have been in great hands. However, here is something interesting to think about. Why is it that Brees for all his glory was never questioned about his football skills early in his career, yet Newton does time and time again?
When taking a closer look at each signal-callers numbers, Newton has outperformed Brees by a wide margin over there first 125 career games. Newton has played in 125 games since entering the league, in that stretch he has totalled 33,806 yards and 240 touchdowns. Brees, on the other hand, totalled 215 touchdowns and 31,978 yards.
See where this is heading?
Think fans did not want Newton back with the Panthers? In late December, fans purchased a billboard that read “Keep Cam in Carolina.”
“Cam Newton has brought so much joy, passion, loyalty, and culture to the Carolina Panthers, the City of Charlotte, and the Two-State Region, that we want to show him and the team how much we want him to stay,” a GoFundMe Page for the billboards read.
Carolina wanted to move on, fine, however, the fashion in which the decision is taking place is damning for one of the franchises greatest players.
Cam’s Philanthropic Impact
For all of Newton’s accomplishments on the field that deserve praise, his off the field resume is one that should not go unnoticed in the bigger picture. In 2019, although Newton barely played due to injury, the team still nominated him for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award — an honor bestowed upon a nominee from each NFL team that recognizes athletes for their outstanding community service and excellence on the field. The award is named after the late legend and Hall of Fame Chicago Bear Walter Payton for his humanitarian work.
In a time when athletes have to be chastised or called out for not giving back to their communities, Newton has proven to be the opposite. Since founding the Cam Newton Foundation in 2012, Newton has provided over $5.13 million in grant allocations, resources for programs to thrive, donations to K-12 schools and non-profit organizations with great causes in Charlotte and Atlanta.
In addition to the $5.13 million Cam donated through his Foundation, the former MVP separately started two annual events that helps families in need. “Thanksgiving Jam” and “Santa Cam Surprise Sleigh” each are tremendous with the former serving over 1,300 underprivileged families and the latter surpassing over $100,000 in donations.
Newton is not just a typical football player basking in his money and fame; this is a young man who provides a bolt of energy and joy into a community without asking for anything in return. To list out all of Newton’s great deeds would require an article within itself, but it is obvious his impact on the Charlotte area should have warranted more than a cast-off tweet from the Panthers’ organization giving Newton the right to seek a trade.
Conclusion
Where someone falls on the side of this debate is up to them entirely. Many believe Newton can still play at a high level, and others feel his best days are well behind him. All in all, that is the most irrelevant portion of this conversation. How does a franchise push its greatest quarterback out of the backdoor in an announcement on Twitter? That is unjust and one that Newton doesn’t deserve.
Back in December when the fans’ billboard went up in support of Newton, he had the following to say: “I won’t [leave the Panthers]. They got to ship me off for me to leave … In order for me to leave, they got to get rid of me. It’s not up to me.”
It is a shame Newton will no longer call Carolina home again. Is this the thanks he gets?
*This story was originally published on March 23, 2020.