Lamar Jackson called out longtime NBC NFL insider Mike Florio this week after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a surprise win over the San Francisco 49ers, and none other than Cam Newton is now coming to Jackson’s defense.
Newton loved Jackson speaking directly to Florio in a high-profile moment and using his platform from within the NFL to give an athlete’s perspective. Newton argued that Florio is replaceable while Jackson is not, and thus Florio should tamp down his insults toward the Baltimore star.
“If I were to ask Mike Florio to perform in front of 80 to 90 thousand, just to try to do what Lamar Jackson is able to do, you couldn’t do it,” Newton said on his 4th and 1 podcast this week. “But guess what, Cam Newton can cover the sport like you can.”
"You [@ProFootballTalk] can't do what I do…or in this case did, but I can do what you do."
–@CameronNewton on accountability in sports media pic.twitter.com/mN6bpcjdZ3
— 4thand1show (@4thand1show) December 28, 2023
Heading into the Christmas Day tilt between Baltimore and San Francisco, Florio projected a blowout loss for the Ravens. In return, Jackson called Florio (or Mike “Flores” actually, because that’s how little Jackson cares who he is) “disrespectful.”
Florio later apologized publicly to Jackson about how over-the-top he was toward Baltimore.
“They deserve complete and total respect for what they accomplished,” he wrote on X.
Lamar is right. I apologize for how I phrased my opinion. I believed the 49ers were dramatically better than every other team in the NFL: Cowboys, Eagles, Chiefs, Dolphins, everyone. The Ravens proved otherwise. They deserve complete and total respect for what they accomplished. https://t.co/4ja4gvuWnc
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 26, 2023
But while Jackson made sure to note he understood Florio had a job to do and asked that it simply be respectful, Newton went scorched earth. To Newton, there’s no reason for Florio to be giving takes about football at all.
“What the hell does Mike Florio know outside of journalism?” Newton asked on his podcast. “I’m not trying to discredit what he’s been able to do. But sit your a** down, because now guys who should be talking, turn their mic up a little bit more.”
Newton believes reporters like Florio, who writes about the NFL for Pro Football Talk, are “about to get exposed” because of their lack of familiarity with the game.
“They have never played football at a level where it matters,” Newton added. “This is not me disrespecting Mike Florio … I’m speaking for the thousands of NFL players that’s in the league right now that have been getting critiqued by guys like Mike Florio for years, and he ain’t been held accountable.”
The energy of Newton’s podcast may be strange, with the cramped quarters and off-screen hype men, but it’s perfectly reasonable to hold reporters accountable. This current moment in sports media is flush with current and former athletes doing exactly that.
And while Jackson likely appreciates Newton coming to his side, somehow Newton found a way to make the whole situation about himself. That’s something he has done all NFL season as he guns for headlines.
Newton is unlikely to change the status quo here, but Florio still gets a deserved L.
