Cam Newton

by Benjamin Southerland

  And so Cam continued with his plan, as he had done in seasons previous—in his first three years at the helm, in fact, he’d accumulated an 11-3 record in December, stronger than any other quarterback over that period. So he knew what late-season runs were all about. Except this time, the Panthers were neither mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, nor were they on the flipside, with a berth securely in their grasp.

  The Panthers’ Week 14 matchup, against the Saints, would be indicative of how Cam was to respond.

  And he responded like the champion he is.

  Cam had 226 yards through the air, but more importantly, his rush game looked like it had at his peak, and it appeared as though the ankle procedure had really paid off. Cam rushed for 83 yards and added a rushing touchdown to his three passing ones. And it was an absolute route, with the Panthers coming out on top, 41-10.

  Newton dove up the middle for his rushing touchdown, and followed it up, naturally, with his Superman shimmy. But it drew the ire of one of the New Orleans defensive players, and a fight broke out on the field. Naturally, Cam spun away and continued the moves, undeterred.

  The game—and the accompanying swagger-filled dance moves—would signal a major change for this Panther squad. Somehow, the football record gods had blessed the NFL with a very strange set of standings, meaning that if the now-4-8-1 Panthers could somehow find a way to win out the season, they might stand a chance of making the playoffs. The task was clear—now it was up to Cam to deliver.

  But two days after the win, everything came screeching to a halt.

  News reports began to erupt with little to no information: “Cam Newton involved in a car crash. Car has flipped over.” Little information was given, and teammates, coaches and fans were forced to wait on pins and needles.

  Finally, the news: he would be OK, ultimately…but he’d walk away with two fractured vertebrae in his lower back. Interestingly, the injury was not unlike one that could be sustained on the football field—Tony Romo had broken the same two bones in the previous season after a vicious sack—but it would mean that Cam would have to spend at least one week away from the field.

  It was almost as if the football gods had extended the potential opportunity to Cam and the Panthers only to greedily snatch it away for their own entertainment.

  Hours after the crash, pictures emerged of Cam lying on his side in the road with a medic attending to him. In spite of the traumatic scene, Cam was looking directly at the camera and flashing his flawless smile.

  Ever the star.

  Still, it could have been so much worse. “Somebody is supposed to be dead,” said Cam after the accident. “I just can’t stop smiling because God has his hands on me.”

  He was right—survival was the most important aspect. And the Panthers fielded arguably the best backup quarterback in the NFL in Derek Anderson for their Week 15 home matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Behind Anderson’s stellar play, they were able to come out with a slim victory, 19-17. Their hopes were still alive.

  But what of Cam’s health? No word until close to game time on Week 16. The doctors wanted to be sure, rightly so, and though it was tempting to wish Cam was a certainty to appear, no one wanted to rush the star back into the fold before he was fully healed.

  A return to practice early in the days leading up to the Week 16 home matchup against the Cleveland Browns was an excellent sign. And indeed, Cam suited up and played in the game, which, though hard fought, came out in the Panthers’ favor, 17-13. The squad moved to 6-8-1 and was a single game away from doing the unthinkable: qualifying for postseason play.

  The only team left to beat was their NFC South foes, the Atlanta Falcons, and they’d have to do it in the Georgia Dome. The Falcons had taken them down at home in a close battle in Week 11, so Cam and the Panthers were hungry for revenge.

  And it wasn’t even close. Cam and the Panthers routed the Falcons 34-3, clinching the NFC South in the process. The defense was the real star of the game, but Cam did everything he needed to do to ensure a win, too.

  Had Cam’s near-death experience been the catalyst for the turnaround? Or were we simply witnessing the final stage of maturation for the young man from Atlanta? Regardless, the tempo carried over into the Panthers’ first-round playoff game against the Cardinals, where Cam would throw for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards, and the defense would be nearly perfect. The Panthers won, 27-16.

  The glorious run would finally come to a close in the second round, on the road against a formidable Seahawks squad, but it was clear that this team—and this quarterback—were changed for the better.

  The coaches saw it, the fans saw it—and management saw it. In the offseason, the Panthers decided to make Cam Newton their quarterback indefinitely. Cam agreed to a five-year, $103.8 million contract that would ensure that the Panthers had their man, and Cam had his team, each of which would establish the other’s legacy. While some argued that the Panthers overpaid to get their man at that price, the contract has been rated to be the second-best value in the NFL—and as we would come to find out, he would earn every penny of it.

  But first: in typical Panthers, and Cam, fashion, the adversity bus had to make another round.

  Chapter 10: MVP

  Enter the 2015-16 campaign. With Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis on defense, and Greg Olsen and second-year receiver Kelvin Benjamin ready to roll as Cam’s co-favorite targets, the stage seemed set for domination.

  Then in late August, Benjamin, who Ron Rivera had said had entered camp in the best shape of his life, tore his ACL in a non-contact move and shortly after was deactivated for the entire season. Cam and Olsen were going to have to link up like they never had before.

  It began in earnest: a win Week 1 in Jacksonville, extending the streak of regular-season wins, including last season, to five. Week 2 was a win. In Week 3 against the Saints, Cam passed for 315 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for another. Analysts were falling all over themselves trying to ascertain and describe Cam’s growth.

  After a bye in Week 5, the Panthers faced a team who was quickly becoming a foe of theirs, the Seattle Seahawks, in a road matchup. The game was as advertised, and the Panthers found themselves down three points in the fourth quarter.

  With the clocking ticking down, Cam drove the team down the field 80 yards, and with help from rookie receiver Devin Funchess, and of course, the ever-faithful Olsen, was able to capitalize with just seconds left on a touchdown pass that put the Panthers up for good.

  “It comes as no surprise to us,” said Cam. “It was going to be a big game. We were going to expect a lot from so many players.” The biggest takeaway from that quote? Like always, this was never an individual effort with Cam—it was always about the team.

  The wins started to feel inevitable. The Panthers were light years ahead of everyone else in the league, and Cam was throwing lights-out passes, and if somehow his receivers were all covered, he was taking over games on the ground. The Panthers quickly rose to the top in the Power Rankings and stayed there for the remainder of the season.

  The only blemish to the resume would come in Week 16, against a tired, out-of-contention, and, as a result, fired-up Atlanta Falcons squad whose only hope for relative success was to ruin an undefeated team and MVP’s perfect season.

  And as it should have been, Cam’s mind was elsewhere—his son had been born two days before the game; it was around the holidays; and the Panthers already had locked up a first-round bye and home field advantage. If they were to have continued success in the playoffs—namely, if they were going to win a Super Bowl—who cared about an undefeated season?

  Well…they still had to win that Super Bowl.

  Prior to the game, Cam was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the NFL Award, and he also earned a third Pro Bowl—though, if the Panthers were to make that Super Bowl, he wouldn’t be attending.

  After a first-round bye, they again faced the Seahawks, but this time in the comfort of their own stadium.
Cam and company made quick work of Russell Wilson’s squad, and the Panthers cruised to a 31-24 victory that wasn’t even as close as the score implied. Next up, they trounced the Arizona Cardinals. And that was it. Super Bowl time. Against a banged-up Denver Broncos squad led by a quarterback, Peyton Manning, whom many felt should have retired years ago.

  The stage appeared to be set for a go-ahead Super Bowl win for the Panthers, and the city of Charlotte was buzzing as it awaited what would happen across the nation in Santa Clara.

  The Broncos took an early lead, and though Peyton Manning looked shaky all game, its defense proved to be a formidable force, hurrying or sacking Cam on numerous occasions. Cam himself couldn’t get into a rhythm all night.

  Not to be deterred, Cam did his best to come back in the second half and fight until the finish, but it was not to be—the Broncos would beat the Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

  The team was broken—and Cam was more shattered than anyone.

  After the game, he walked out of a press conference halfway through, drawing the ire of some of the media and getting taunted as being a sore loser in the process. It didn’t matter that the press conference had been set up adjacent to several Broncos players, who were going on and on about how they had contained “the Great Cam Newton.”

  When Cam Newton lost the Super Bowl, the opinions were more resounding than they’d been with the whole letter-from-the-mom controversy (as told in the next chapter)—and this time, they were more against Cam than they were for him. “How could he do this?” fans wondered. “How could he be such a sore loser?” But this question is moot from the start. For someone to care that much about losing means that they care that much more about winning. The game meant everything to Cam, not just for himself, but also for his fans, for the city that had embraced him. And he felt like he had let them down.

  Days after the press conference, Newton said as much: “I’m a sore loser,” he explained to the media. And, quite frankly, who wouldn’t be? We’re talking about arguably one of the greatest NFL teams in history, with one of the great quarterbacks at the helm, and they lose the biggest game of the season. Who in their right mind wouldn’t have reacted the way that Cam did?

  Like Cam said in 2012, “A person that says losing is not difficult, I don’t even want to be around that person. And obviously, that person has never won anything relevant in their life.”

  But no—people seem to think Cam shouldn’t act like Superman—until he acts like a human, and then they think he should be Superman, after all.

  If there was one relationship where no love was lost in this match-up, it was that between Cam and Peyton Manning. Though they are two vastly different quarterbacks, it’s abundantly clear that they have an immense amount of respect for one another, and their cordial and kind conversation they had after the game is a testament to that. In fact, Peyton has so much respect for Cam that he declared Cam would be the face of the NFL in the next eight years.

  Cam liked that, saying, “Anything the Sheriff says, you can probably ink it in gold.”

  Chapter 11: A Controversial Figure

  To understand the essence of what makes Cam Newton such a joy to watch, and such a great person to root for if he’s on your side, is the very thing that infuriates fans of opposing teams: quite simply, he is the most confident player in the league. Evidence of just how much he makes fans mad could be seen in the highly publicized events after the Panthers’ Week 10 victory at the Tennessee Titans. After this win—which, by the way, kept Cam and the Panthers undefeated at 9-0—a Tennessee Titans fan penned a letter scolding Cam for his celebratory behavior, and questioning the message she thought he was conveying with his signature celebrations. Included in that letter were these criticisms:

  …We had a close up view of your conduct in the fourth quarter. The chest puffs. The pelvic thrusts. The arrogant struts and the “in your face” taunting of both the Titans’ players and fans. We saw it all.

  I refuse to believe you don’t realize you are a role model. You are paid millions of dollars every week to play hard and be a leader. In the off season you’re expected to make appearances, support charities, and inspire young kids to pursue your sport and all sports. With everything the NFL has gone through in recent years, I’m confident they have advised that you are, by virtue of your position and career choice, a role model.

  My daughter sensed the change immediately—and started asking questions. Won’t he get in trouble for doing that? Is he trying to make people mad? Do you think he knows he looks like a spoiled brat?

  I didn’t have great answers for her, and honestly, in an effort to minimize your negative impact and what was otherwise a really fun day, I redirected her attention to the cheerleaders and mascot.

  I could tell she was still thinking about it as we boarded a shuttle back to our car. “I guess he doesn’t have kids or a Mom at home watching the game,” she added.

  I don’t know about your family life Mr. Newton, but I think I’m safe in saying thousands of kids watch you every week. You have amazing talent and an incredible platform to be a role model for them. Unfortunately, what you modeled for them today was egotism, arrogance and poor sportsmanship.

  The letter drew anger from the Carolina side, and there was a fairly large backlash against it. In the end, the woman who had originally written it owned up to the fact that she hadn’t adequately taken the time to understand that, indeed, Cam proves the way he’s a role model in a multitude of ways, and that it’s his prerogative to celebrate if he’s doing well.

  But, regardless of your opinions of the letter, one thing’s for sure: Cam’s celebration sparked a nationwide phenomenon that, even today, is still rolling to some degree. And that would be…the dab.

  “I’m a firm believer that if you don’t like me to do it then don’t let me in,” said Cam after the game. “I just like doing it, man. It’s not to be boastful, and from the crowd’s response they like seeing it. [A 16-year-old] told me to ‘Dab on them folks.’”

  You know the move. It starts with an arm extended, almost as if pausing and waiting for a cue. And then, one arm moves toward your face, almost as if you’re sneezing into it, while the other moves out emphatically.

  “Dancing takes me to my happy place,” says Cam. Who in their right mind would want to deny Cam the right to be in his happy place?

  Rooted in Atlanta hip-hop culture—near and dear to Cam’s heart—it swept the nation and was copied by athletes in all arenas, including the NFL.

  And Cam, too, has swept the nation, lending his handsome face to advertising campaigns for everything from Gatorade to Under Armour. He’s quickly becoming one of the nation’s most recognizable sports figures. But this isn’t whom he does it for. Cam was raised to have strong familial roots—it’s what Cecil and Jackie taught him, and it will certainly influence the values that he passes down to his young son, Chosen.

  Chapter 12: Cam—The Man

  In the offseason leading up to Cam’s 2016 campaign, Cam filmed a kids’ show on Nickelodeon called All In with Cam Newton. The premise of the show is that you have Cam, who’s basically a big kid who’s achieved his dream of playing in the NFL, helping younger kids accomplish their own dreams—professional BMX rider, swimmer, or even a girl who wants to be a pro football player herself. The man has no need for the extra money, and after a heartbreaking end to an otherwise-perfect season, he definitely was under no obligation to spend his time doing this—beach in the Bahamas perhaps, or some R&R at home?

  But no—that just isn’t who Cam Newton is. So instead, he spent his downtime between the end of the season and training camp working with kids to perfect their individual crafts, teaching them the mentalities they need to succeed, and perhaps even picking up a few tips himself.

  And the show’s electric. It’s already become one of the most popular programs on Nickelodeon.

  This is the power that Cam has. He has a mass appeal like virtually no other athlete in history. First of all, he is
objectively beautiful. Second of all, he is a physical specimen, and has the genuine ability of a LeBron James. But not only that—he’s smart, he’s thoughtful, and he’s conscious of his role as both an athlete and a role model.

  That woman who wrote the letter? Who said that Cam wasn’t a good role model?

  She must have not known about Cam Newton.

  Since arriving in Charlotte, Cam has been the picture of a philanthropist. Every week he visits schools, gives talks, and participates in mentorship programs. He’s never involved in anything shady as far as the law is concerned, and he conducts himself like a true gentleman off the field.

  Further, perhaps even more recognizable or consistent than the dab is his giving away a football each year to a youngster in the stands. He’s done it every year since he first started playing for the Panthers. He began this practice his very first season, and he’s actually fined by the NFL every time he does it—an amount that he ultimately matches and donates to charity.

  She must not have been aware of that.

  The day before his son was born—December 22, 2015—a group of fourth and fifth graders were brought on a field trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods in Charlotte. They’d been handpicked based on an improvement of grades or their showing an example of a strong character trait. First, they were instructed to take a seat, and then to wait for their guest to arrive.

  From somewhere else in the store emerged none other than Cam Newton. The children gasped, noticeably shocked and grinning from ear to ear. After a talk from Cam, each child was given $200 to spend on presents for their family members and themselves.

  Said Gina Salvati, the head of the organization who hosted the event, “Cam has—and I don’t know if the world knows this—a genuine heart for kids.”

  The reason for this is simple: Cam, as a mature, 27-year-old quarterback, one of the best in the league, is still a kid at heart. And now, he’s a father, too.