From his flashy fedoras to his brazen rompers and his head-scratching head scarves, Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton has almost always amazed folks with his unique style. And he believes that sometimes, it’s not a good kind of amazement.
The franchise legend and free-agent quarterback was featured on Tuesday’s episode of Undefined with Josina Anderson, where he was asked by the league insider if he thinks his current hairstyle has kept him out of an NFL job. Newton had this to say about his brimming dreadlocks:
“It’s been hindered,” he stated. “And I’m not changin’. This is one thing I do understand about my stance, especially with the NFL—it’s such a prestigious brotherhood, fraternity. And whether I go back or not, I can always say I did it at a high level. Where I’m at right now in my life—do I need the NFL? No. Does the NFL need me? Hell no. And I think that understanding is the reason why I’m able to kinda be fine.
“But, yeah, people have hinted towards to say like, ‘Cam, we want you to go back to the 2015 clean-cut Cam. But that was a different me. Right now, where I’m at, it’s about embracing who I am.”
Anderson then asked Newton if he had specifically been told that his dreads have caused him to be blackballed.
“There was hints towards it,” he replied. “And the thing that is always mentioned is, ‘Cam, you scarin’ people the way you look.’ And I would say, yo, like I’m not gonna name names, but there’s other quarterbacks that’s in the league that don’t look like me, but they got long hair. They don’t scare them, do they?
“So, we can go tit for tat, tat for tit with it. But I would just turn and nod to that and say, ‘That’s not the reason why I’m not in the NFL.'”
Newton, who last played in 2021 for Carolina, held a little throwing session in front of league representatives at Auburn University’s pro day back on March 21. A few weeks later, the former Most Valuable Player released a YouTube where he listed 11 quarterbacks he’d be willing to back up this upcoming season.
And while that list drew some ire, it solidified something we’ve always known—Cam Newton makes people stupid, no matter what he’s wearing.
