Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton apologized Friday for his function in an altercation at a 7-on-7 youth soccer match final weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.
A video of the Feb. 25 scuffle, which went viral on social media, reveals three males blitzing the 34-year-old Newton, who seems to deal with them with such ease his signature ornate hat was not even set askew.
In an incident report, Atlanta police stated that everybody concerned declined to file costs, in keeping with CBS affiliate WANF-TV.
Addressing the incident on his “4th & 1” podcast Friday, Newton defined that his off-field opponents have been former coaches beneath his C1N pupil athlete growth program, which was additionally competing on the match. The previous Carolina Panthers star and 2015 NFL MVP lamented that the altercation set a poor instance.
“To each single highschool participant, to each single individual I’ve influenced, to each single athlete — use my scenario to know that in a single second, in a single resolution, your life can change,” Newton stated on his podcast. “I apologize to anyone affected.”
Newton additionally named these males he alleged have been concerned within the combat, saying they have been members of a company known as High Shelf Efficiency.
A type of alleged individuals, TJ Brown, claimed in an interview with a Georgia radio station this week that there was a historical past of trash speak between the 2 organizations, and alleged that Newton put arms on Brown first.
“I am strolling up a flight of steps, and I see a 6’6″ man grabbing my brother, that is what everyone’s seeing,” Brown stated.
On his podcast, Newton pressured the significance of being the larger individual, referencing the disparagement he says he receives day by day about moments in his profession on the sphere – from not leaping on a fumble in Tremendous Bowl 50 when the Carolina Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos, to shedding his beginning spot to New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones in 2021.
“It begins with phrases, and it ought to’ve ended with phrases,” Newton stated. “I am dissatisfied in myself by letting it escalate to what it did.”
Newton, the primary general decide within the 2011 NFL Draft, has not performed within the NFL since 2021. He spent the primary 9 seasons of his profession with the Panthers, main them to a Tremendous Bowl in 2016. He joined the Patriots for one season earlier than briefly returning to Carolina.
Rishikesh Rajagopalan
Rishi Rajagopalan is a social media affiliate producer and content material author for CBS Information.