Cam Newton on criticism: ‘It’s not racism’

As Cam Newton has climbed up the ranks of National Football League quarterbacks, there have been rising amounts of praise and criticism for the way he plays the game and conducts himself on and off the field. Newton sat down with GQ magazine for a revealing interview in which he said that while he’s a mentioned being a Black quarterback in times past that the nation is “beyond” race.

“It’s not racism”, Newton told GQ in a cover story published Monday online.

“It’s not racism. Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion”, he said.

CN: I’ll let you be the judge.

“But they don’t talk about the joy it brings”, Newton said. Whether ignorant of the concerns others have pointed out or simply hoping his son i as gifted and fortunate as he has been, Cam makes it perfectly clear he will let his son play football if that is what he wants to play. It’s not. Like, we’re beyond that.

Before the Super Bowl, Newton said his race makes him a target because it “scares people”.

Newton has been ripped apart by fans for everything from his dance moves to having a child out of wedlock with his girlfriend. But this is what makes sports so unbelievable, that we can start a discussion around a table, in the newspaper, in the magazines, that will get people’s attention. I’m not trying to sound like Charlie Sheen, but it is. “If you control your choice of words, you can, you know, kind of go down from there”.

Cam has always had a way of making insane garments look cool (remember those Zebra trousers?), and he kept his eccentric style shine once again in his GQ spread. And we didn’t.” He’s past it now without regretting it exactly: “I could care less.

Also worth noting, when asked if he’ll support Trump, who he calls an “unbelievable businessperson”, or whether or not he agreed with North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom laws”, Newton punted the question, calling them both “too personal” to answer.

November 2015: Newton opted for Christian Louboutin high tops at his post-game press conference, though everyone was talking about his accessory of choice: a tail.