After sparking a sports media firestorm for labeling NFL MVP candidates “game managers,” Cam Newton continues to fan the flames that are the backlash to his comments.
Last week, Newton claimed that quarterbacks Jared Goff, Dak Prescott, Brock Purdy, and Tua Tagovailoa are “game managers” and not “game changers.” This statement received criticism from commentators on ESPN and FS1, including Kimberley A. Martin, Domonique Foxworth, Skip Bayless, and Jason McIntyre. However, Newton was more bothered by the fact that some of their responses were personal attacks rather than addressing his take directly.
Newton responded, calling out Burke Magnus and Norby Williamson after getting mocked by the Worldwide Leader.
On Monday, he continued his crusade against what he sees as personal attacks on his character for expressing opinions, as he and Brandon Marshall stopped by Audacy’s V-103 Hip-Hop station in Atlanta to talk about their “I Am iConic – Live Tour.”
He criticized those who attacked his character rather than engage with his opinions, despite his right to speak on certain topics due to personal experience.
“The thing that I don’t appreciate is when they don’t agree with you, they try to attack your character,” Newton said on Audacy’s V-103. “They try to attack you as the person. I had an opinion that got blown into proportion: ‘ Why is he dressing like that? Isn’t this the same person that had had a bad keeper?’ That’s not the point. The point is that I’ve said something that if anybody can speak on that, it should be me….So how dare you, you know, come after the person who I am by saying, ‘Oh, this is something that Cam Newton was never able to do.’
“Well, if we go about it like that, and we were to say, and we be honest, we’re living in a very soft society, and you have to be very keen to who you’re talking to and who you’re dealing with, and I’m a person who understands that. So when I make comments, game changer versus game manager, that’s not a negative connotation, people. That’s the ability to understand, and some people can really take over…”
Newton rejected the idea that being labeled a “game manager” is negative, although the term has often been associated with negative connotations, even if unintentionally. He emphasized that labeling a quarterback a “game manager” is not a backhanded compliment, implying inferiority.
“They are good,” said Newton. “I was watching football (Sunday); Brock had some hella good plays. Jared Goff had a hell of a game. Dak, not so much, but that’s not to say he can’t bounce back. Tua, he won 3-0 versus the Jets, c’mon…”
Amidst the current culture of instant gratification and social media outrage, Newton’s call for respectful discussions regarding quarterbacks — without delving into personal attacks — highlights the importance of civil talks on and off the field. And even so, he showed no signs of backing down from his original stance.
