The storm surrounding the podcast interview heard round the sports media world is still showing no signs of quieting down. The Cam Newton interview with Jason Whitlock has now drawn in both Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark, with Newton now responding to a not-so-subtle warning from Clark.
Newton’s decision to interview Whitlock, the arch rival of First Take star and executive producer Stephen A. Smith, has not gone down well at ESPN. Smith was miffed that Newton, who he welcomed to the First Take family, would pull a Fredo and break bread with Whitlock without pushing back at his personal attacks. For some reason, Smith can’t quit Whitlock, which keeps the largely forgotten man in the headlines and makes him relevant.
Clark then jumped into the fray with a passive-aggressive message on social media clearly aimed at Newton talking about his lack of loyalty.
Naturally, seeing the potential for content, Cam Newton is going to milk this situation for all its worth. On his latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback addressed his ESPN colleague in a very theatrical message that made it clear he wasn’t going to back down.
Cam responds back to Ryan Clark’s tweet! Cam: “Ima always do ME!” Full Episode out now on YouTube! pic.twitter.com/iBIfirogAf
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) March 26, 2026
“I will always do me and will continue to do me. And everybody who tried to change me, it’s not going to happen because I am very secure and understand what I want for me,” Newton said.
He then turned to Clark directly.
“So you mean to tell me that you’re going to tell me who me can and can’t have on me platform. This was never about Jason Whitlock and Stephen A. Smith. The reason why I decided to bring Jason Whitlock on 4th & 1 was because Jason Whitlock has strong takes that I wanted to talk man to man about. And what better way to ease all that than through conversation. It’s my job as a creator to bring people together to have an uncomfortable conversation,” he added.
Newton shared his respect and appreciation for Clark as a fellow content creator and former athlete who has opened doors for himself and others. However, he made it clear that he’s not going to take marching orders from him.
“One thing that’s not going to happen is a puppet string attached to my back. Every single coach, player that I’ve ever played with do that. I’m going to do things how I want to do it. Respectfully. Don’t micro-manage me. Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do if this is the bylaws of the game that we playing.”
Cam Newton then name-checked Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Deion Sanders, and Ryan Clark as fellow African-American in the media space that he respects who had negative things to say about him. But he turned it back around by saying that people who have talked about others at some point in their careers shouldn’t be upset when the shoe is on the other foot.
This is going to be a fascinating test case for the true power and influence of Stephen A. Smith. For as much as he rules First Take, Cam Newton is going to play by his own rules. He’s a national champion, Heisman winner, and NFL MVP. Those are things that Smith will never match nor take away. So if Smith and Clark continue to try to box him in, it may be a matter of time before the realization hits that First Take isn’t big enough for all of them.
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