The list of people frustrated with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton continues to grow. Former teammates and former members of the organization have lined up to say they're not happy with the verbiage Newton used to describe the team he arrived on in 2011.
That includes Steve Smith, Charles Johnson, Geoff Schwartz, and now Captain Munnerlyn. The former defensive back who is now a coach took issue with Newton's comments, but he, unlike the others, tried to see things from a different perspective.
Captain Munnerlyn addresses Cam Newton's comments
Cam Newton gave some advice to Travis Hunter, saying that he needs to know that when he arrives on a team picking him first overall, it won't be a good team. Newton used the word "losers" to describe the Panthers he arrived on, as they went 2-14 the year prior.
Captain Munnerlyn is one of the many who didn't like what Newton said. Via Joe Person of The Athletic, he said, “He wants to be relevant still. He’s in this media world where he does his podcasts and (ESPN’s) ‘First Take’ stuff, which is good. I’m happy for him. I’m proud of him. But I think he still says some stuff just to be relevant still. And if you know Cam, you’ve been around him for years, that’s Cam Newton.”
Munnerlyn admitted it stung to hear Newton refer to them that way. “For him to say that we was losers was a slap in the face,” said Munnerlyn. “This was a team who was two years removed from playing in the NFC divisional round against the Arizona Cardinals. We lost a couple pieces. We had Checkdown Jimmy Clausen at quarterback and we had a bad year. … For him to say losers was crazy.”
Just two years prior, the Panthers had gone 12-4 and won the NFC South, but owner Jerry Richardson had effectively gutted the roster for the lockout, and it left the Panthers in pretty dire shape. That 2010 team remains one of the absolute worst in franchise history, and it led to the selection of Newton.
Munnerlyn finished by sympathizing with Newton, but noting that this wasn't necessary. He understood what the QB was trying to say and why he said it that way, but Munnerlyn said, "So the stuff he’s saying, he just wants to still be relevant. He don’t have to do all that to be relevant. You’re freaking Cam Newton, bro. You changed a franchise. You’re probably one of the biggest players that’s played here — at the quarterback position, for sure. So you don’t have to do all this other stuff, man. You’re already 6-6, 200-whatever pounds. You don’t have to do that to be relevant, bro. You’re freaking Cam Newton.”
