Source: Mitchell Leff / Getty
Last week, the football world was stunned as NFL superstar Cam Newton was cut from the New England Patriots after he lost the starting quarterback spot to rookie Mac Jones. Newton is understandably disappointed by the decision, or at least he appeared to be in a recent YouTube video where he discussed it with his father, Cecil Newton, but he clearly hasn’t let it shake his confidence. (But really, can the self-esteem of anyone who proudly sports a wardrobe like Newton’s ever really be hurt much?)
During the nearly 45-minute video posted to Cam’s YouTube channel, the 2015 MVP and 2010 Heisman Trophy winner was, at times, kind of excitable and all over the place, as he often is, but he did clearly and concisely let it be known early on that he isn’t here for any “retirement vibes” and that he didn’t need supporters out here mourning his loss or his career.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, bruh, I’m straight, I’m good, I’m flourishing,” he said before going on to admit he was “absolutely” surprised by the decision to release him.
At one point he and his father discussed Jones and how Newton believes he only lost out to him to avoid him being a “distraction.”
“Mac Jones didn’t beat me out,” Cam said. “But I would have been a distraction knowing if they would have given him the starting role. They knew the perception that would have had if the success didn’t come.”
Cecil asked Newton how his presence might make him a distraction, to which he responded, “Just my aura. That’s my gift and my curse. When you bring a Cam Newton to your facility, you bring a Cam Newton to your franchise, people are interested by the mere fact, ‘Who is he?’” (You always know the confidence is real when star athletes start speaking in the third person.)
Cam’s main reason for believing he’d be a distraction appeared to revolve around the idea that if he was the Week 1 starter with the stacked roster New England currently has, there was always the risk that his early success with the team could slow the transition to Jones taking the starting role, which he said is why he would have gladly accepted the role as a backup quarterback if he was asked to.
“I prided myself and still pride myself on being the ultimate professional,” Cam said. “If they would have asked me, ‘Cam, we are going to give the team to Mac. You’re going to be the second string. We expect you to be everything and then some to guide through this team.’ I would’ve said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Cam also humbly declared that the Patriots “are going to win football games with Mac Jones.”
You can watch the full video below.
‘I Would Have Been A Distraction’: Cam Newton Talks Mac Jones And Exit From New England Patriots was originally published on cassiuslife.com
