Cam Newton caused a stir this week by criticizing the locker room culture when he joined the Carolina Panthers. After receiving backlash from his old teammates, the former NFL MVP put his comments in the proper context.
Newton claimed that he walked into a locker room of losers. This was a 2-14 team upon his arrival that gave Carolina the chance to select him at No. 1 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. What followed were some of the most memorable moments in franchise history.
After his statement drew the ire of ex-players like Charles Johnson, Captain Munnerlyn, and Steve Smith Sr., Newton doubled down on his thoughts during his latest 4th-and-1 podcast. However, the Heisman Trophy winner acknowledged that he shouldn't have tarred everyone with the same brush.
"A locker room full of losers, aggressive, but it’s true, I receive what Steve Smith says because of course, he takes it personal as the competitor that I know he is. He was in that locker room that was 2-14. Jonathan Stewart was in that locker room that was 2-14. Ryan Kalil, Jordan Gross, Thomas Davis, Jon Beason, Charles Johnson, those guys were in that locker room that was 2 – 14. I’m not specifically talking about those guys, I’m specifically talking about the culture that was there prior to me coming into the locker room, and it was a loser's mentality."
If Newton had articulated his original statement a little more tactfully, there might not have been such a fuss made. Omitting certain players like the ones mentioned could have saved him a lot of bother. It was another example of how the smallest slip-up can be magnified in the ever-changing media landscape.
Cam Newton was right about Carolina Panthers' culture, but the statement needed more tact
But regarding the overall culture, he's right.
This was a losing team. You don't get to pick first in the draft without being one. Any fan who watched the Panthers during this disastrous 2010 campaign with quarterback Jimmy Clausen leading the charge could tell you that.
They had good players. Newton named them all eventually. But this is the ultimate team sport and the Panthers were found wanting more often than not.
Things didn't improve until Carolina drafted Newton in 2011 and linebacker Luke Kuechly the following year. These players emerged as foundational pieces on either side of the football. They eventually became two of the greatest to ever put on the Panthers' uniform.
Newton will probably have conversations with those unhappy when he sees them in person down the road. Putting everyone together in the same boat on the issue was a mistake. But calling this anything other than a losing culture overall would have been wrong.
That's exactly what it was. It landed them Newton, but the Panthers went through significant hardship before attaining this franchise-altering prize.
This should draw a line under it, although there's just no telling for sure. Newton spearheaded some of the best days in Carolina's three-decade NFL existence. It didn't bring an elusive Super Bowl to Charlotte, but it propelled them to heights not seen since.
Nothing will ever change that fact.