Cam Newton recently made headlines after being involved in a brawl during a 7-on-7 youth tournament on Sunday. From the initial clips that went viral, it seems like the former NFL quarterback was defending himself from multiple assailants. Now, details have emerged confirming that Newton was indeed going solo against several people during the event.
While the tournament was ongoing, Newton was approached by individuals associated with TopShelf Performance, a football training facility in Atlanta that fielded several teams in the tournament. Their exact motive for approaching the former MVP reportedly stemmed from a game between TopShelf and C1N, Newton's own program. The game took place on Saturday, a day before the brawl, and was reportedly filled with trash talk from both sides.
It seems like tempers still flared the following day, as the whole incident started when Newton was grabbed, per The Athletic's Lukas Weese and Joseph Person:
According to Nehemiah Mitchell, the co-founder of We Ball Sports, who once played football at Vanderbilt, everyone involved in the altercation was removed from the event, including Newton.
“Just an unfortunate situation,” Mitchell said.
In a joint statement to The Athletic, TopShelf Performance trainers/coaches Stephon and TJ Brown said, “We are deeply concerned about the recent incident involving Cam Newton, and our thoughts are with all parties affected. Violence has no place in our community, and we strongly condemn any form of aggression.”
Newton has been garnering attention as of late, even before Sunday's skirmish. The 34-year-old raised eyebrows due to his recent “game-manager” comments about several quarterbacks in the league, such as Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott. This hasn't really sat well with plenty of fans, especially the San Francisco 49ers faithful, who responded with plenty of backlash toward Newton.
Now, the three-time Pro Bowler is back on the front pages again due to what transpired on Sunday. TopShelf Performance already issued a statement on the incident and made it clear that the company is “actively addressing” the matter internally. Newton's representatives have yet to provide an update and there has been no word from the Atlanta Police Department as well.
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