Cam Newton's storied Carolina Panthers career came to a rather ugly end last spring when the Panthers cut their former league MVP.
Newton said on the latest I AM AN ATHLETE podcast he believes there was a certain intimidation factor involved in his relief:
“What other options did I have? I intimidate a lot of people,” Newton said, via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk. “Honestly, I intimidated the franchise that I was at. . . . Where that franchise was going, I was not in the plans. So by the time I got released, the only place that made sense for me, for my career was New England. There was a lot of behind the scenes talk that I wasn’t privy to about the plans moving forward. I wasn’t in the plans. But that’s the business and I learned that. I respect Matt Rhule and David Tepper for putting me through that experience.”
Panthers owner David Tepper sent mixed signals with respect to Cam Newton's place in the franchise last year.
Tepper suggested last February the team would be open to a continued partnership with Cam, but only if he were fully healthy. It was a rather confusing and ambiguous statement. For starters, the franchise had done little to protect Newton or upgrade the offensive line during his nine-year tenure. Additionally, as Newton suggested, it seemed the Panthers had already decided to move on.
What's interesting about this is Tepper's Panthers do not seem to have a good grasp of their vision at the quarterback position. Carolina appears interested either in acquiring or drafting a quarterback, about one year after signing Teddy Bridgewater to replace Newton.
Perhaps Cam Newton's star power in Carolina did intimidate the Panthers. Alternatively, this might just be a franchise without a clear direction under center.
Follow Us
Subscribe