Mere days after Kelvin Benjamin’s critical comments toward Cam Newton, the two former Panthers teammates got to see one another face-to-face before their preseason opener Thursday. The two seemed to have quite a tense interaction where Newton followed Benjamin around before walking away.
When asked post-game what their whole interaction was about, Benjamin said that he “wasn’t even trying to listen” to what Newton was saying, per Mike Rodak of ESPN. He also reiterated that he was “moving on” from his comments about Newton. Newton declined to speak to reporters after the game.
Newton walked over to talk to Benjamin as the Bills receiver was talking to Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. Newton appeared to extend his hand to Benjamin to offer a handshake, but Benjamin declined.
Newton then motioned to Davis to leave and proceeded to follow Benjamin around while talking to him with his hands behind his back for a few moments. But with Benjamin seemingly unwilling to engage, Newton walked away in apparent frustration.
Benjamin made headlines last weekend for his stinging criticism of Newton, saying his lack of accuracy and knowledge held him back during his time with the Panthers.
To Newton’s credit, he had a more civil reaction to Benjamin’s remarks. He refused to get into a back and forth with his former teammate and said it was “all love on this side.”
Newton and the Panthers ended up beating Benjamin’s Bills in the preseason game. Newton went 6-for-9 for 84 yards in limited playing time, while Benjamin had four catches for 59 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown.
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