Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton revealed that prior to entering the league, Carolina signal-caller Jimmy Clausen tried to charge him one million dollars for his jersey number during an interview with “2Cool2Blog.”
When the Panthers drafted Newton No. 1 overall in the 2011 NFL draft, Clausen was wearing Newton’s desired No. 2 jersey.
Knowing that the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner desired that number, Clausen wanted Newton to pay up for the number he wore at Auburn. While paying for jersey numbers is not an unheard-of practice, the amount Clausen was demanding was.
“He’s [Jimmy Clausen] like, ‘s**t, if you want it, you gotta pay for it.’ I was like, ‘Cool, how much?’ He said ‘a million,” said Newton. “I said ‘Boy, kiss my a**, a million dollars, bro? People don’t make a million dollars in a lifetime, let alone I’m gonna give you a million dollars just for a number.’”
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The former Notre Dame standout, who allegedly lowered his asking price to $750,000, shocked Newton that he was seriously demanding such an outrageous amount.
“I said ‘Oh, you for real?’ I hung that phone up, true story,” added Newton. “I called the equipment manager and said I’m rocking with No. 1.”
Newton vowed to make sure that Clausen’s greed would result in making him an afterthought with the Panthers.
“I made an oath to myself,” Newton added. “I said that will be the last time Jimmy Clausen will ever be heard of in Carolina.”
After posting a dismal 1–9 starting record in his rookie season, the second-round pick remained with the team for three more seasons but never played in any games for the club. Following his release, Clausen appeared in nine games for the Bears and Ravens during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
