After spending most of his 11-year NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton has not retreated from recent criticism of his former teammates.
Newton said he was his first overall choice in the 2011 NFL Draft, and entered the “loser” locker room when he arrived in Carolina.
The 2015 NFL MVP admitted that his statement was “offensive,” but he remained immovable in his position that they were “truth.”
For sports coverage on foxnews.com, click here
Cam Newton at Michael Rubin’s Fanatic Super Bowl Party at the Marquee Day Club Las Vegas on February 10th, 2024 at Las Vegas. (Christopher Pork/Billboard by Getty Images)
“When were we very sensitive,” the former NFL star said this week on the “Cam Newton With Cam Newton” podcast. “When did you become so sensitive to really telling what reality is? A locker room full of losers? Aggressive, but that’s true.”
Steve Smith SR. Fight back at Cam Newton to call the Panthers loser
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback made his first comment in an interview with Colorado football star Travis Hunter.
Newton told Hunter “There’s no way to affect the game like a quarterback.”
“I went into the loser’s locker room,” Newton said. “To be honest. The guy didn’t know how to win, the guy didn’t know how to prepare. They weren’t taking seriously to realize we were 2-14. Everyone.”
Hunter, the winner of the Heisman Trophy, is predicted to be one of the first players selected in the April draft. Newton was offering insight into the pressures two-way players could face if Hunter became the No. 1 pick of the year.
Steve Smith, one of Newton’s former teammates, made the exception to the quarterback’s comments.
“53 Man Locker Room – 1 = 52 Loser. Amazing… Breaking the news to 89,” Smith wrote on X with angry emojis.
Carolina Panthers’ Steve Smith, left, Cam Newton shares laughs in Charlotte, North Carolina, August 29, 2013 in the first half of the NFL preseason game with the Pittsburgh Steelers (AP Photo/Mike McCarn, file)
Hours later, Smith said, “I watched and listened as long as @cameronnewton was talking about @panthers! None of us are perfect. We talked about @panthers.
Smith played for the Panthers from 2001-13 and is the most productive receiver to wear a Panthers uniform. He is also a finalist in the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Newton said he “can’t quarre” with Smith and understands why he has problems with his remarks. When he made the original comment, Newton made it clear that he was referring to the entire Panthers performance, not the individual players.
“I’m not talking specifically about those people,” Newton said. “I’m talking about the culture that was there before I got into the locker room. It was the mentality of the loser.”
Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton (1) returned to pass on the fourth quarter of a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina (Lance King/Getty Images)
Newton said they still had their first two seasons when the Panthers got 6-10 and 7-9.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Things started coming together in 2013, when Carolina went 12-4, before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs. The 2015 team went 15-1 and won a spot in the Super Bowl. Carolinas ran short in that game, losing 24-10 to the Denver Broncos.
“Are you me saying, ‘Oh, when I came, I made everything (better)?'” he said. “No. I never said that. What I said was, ‘If you’re in the number one draft, you’re going to go to a bad soccer team.” That’s the truth.
“You know what I’m saying? For me, everyone is so surprised, like, ‘Oh, Cam said this.’ Bro, that’s true. ”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s Sports Coverage on X and subscribe to Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
