Where in the world is Cam Newton?
He wasn’t in Munich, Germany with other Carolina Panthers legends such as Steve Smith, Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly when the team beat the New York Giants in Week 10’s International Series finale.
He’s not in Bank Of America Stadium either. He’s not in the house he renovated when Carolina made him the No. 1 pick in 2011. There are no pictures of him celebrating with his team and dabbing on rivals. No pictures of him scrambling, holding up the George Halas Trophy – clinching the second Super Bowl berth in franchise history. Nothing.
It’s like he never existed and that’s a problem.
On his 4th and 1 podcast, Newton said that his son brought the omission to light, and he was told “We don’t know if Cam is retired yet.” Newton also said he wasn’t aware that opportunities like a trip to Munich even existed.
Granted Newton is technically still a free agent, it doesn’t justify the franchise not acknowledging his existence and impact during his years in the Queen City. I understand not having Newton in the hall of honor. That’s logical since his retirement isn’t official in the eyes of the NFL, but not having him in the corridors of BOA is egregiously foul.
It’s bad enough that the Rhule era brought him back to put people back in those teal seats, and used him as a convenient scapegoat for the team’s failures. Now, the franchise is trying to erase him and exclude him. For what?
In the nine years with the Panthers, Newton did not cause any embarrassment to the team. No mugshot plastered in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He wasn’t out here wilding and acting a fool. He gave his all to the city and franchise. Could it be the perception of Newton that’s causing a rift?
There’s a narrative that the 2015 league MVP and three-time pro bowler was bigger than the organization. Instead of taking advantage of that perception and narrative, the franchise tried to temper it and his bombastic, yet magnetic, personality and is now trying to erase him and his impact.
Let’s keep it funky here. It seems that the Panthers as a franchise accepted Newton’s talent. They accepted all of those improbable runs from scrimmage. They accepted how he carried the team on his back for years and made five-star meals with the scraps he was given. They accepted how fans gravitated towards him to depositing hundreds of dollars at the ‘Bank every Sunday to watch him put on a show. They just did not accept Newton. They did not accept his swag. They did not accept his confidence, nor did they accept his eccentrics.
Whether it’s acknowledged or not, whether it’s accepted or not, you cannot escape Newton’s impact on the franchise. The scramble to erase him is just plain wrong and it makes no sense.
Newton put on for this city. He represented Charlotte well on and off the field. His play elevated the teams he was responsible for leading and guiding. His charity has also impacted the communities of the Queen City and continues to do so to this day. He deserves more than being treated like a pariah and afterthought.