Five years after he told a woman reporter that it was “funny” listening to her ask a question in a press conference, free agent NFL quarterback Cam Newton is again under fire for making sexist comments on a podcast.
The 32-year-old Newton, who is currently without a team after a nine-year NFL career spent mostly with the Carolina Panthers, made the comments during an appearance on an episode of the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast released Monday.
“I grew up in a three parent household,” Mr Newton said. “My mom, my father, and my grandmother. And I knew what a woman was. Not a bad b**** — a woman.”
Encouraged by the podcast hosts, Mr Newton expounded on his views of how women should and should not behave in society.
“A woman for me is handling your own, but knowing how to cater to a man’s needs,” Mr Newton said. “I think a lot of times when you get that aesthetic of, ‘I’m boss b****, I’m a this, I’m a that.’ No baby! But you can’t cook. You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know to allow a man to lead.”
Mr Newton received backlash on social media for the remarks, with NFL commentators and fans alike responding.
To those who have closely followed Mr Newton since he burst onto the scene with a Heisman Trophy-winning season at the University of Auburn, his comments were not entirely surprising. In 2017, Mr Newton told then-Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue that it was “funny” to hear her ask him a question during a press conference.
“It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes,” Mr Newton said from his podium. “It’s funny.”
In an interaction following the conclusion of the press conference, Newton argued his point with Ms Rodrigue
“This afternoon, I did my job as an NFL beat writer and asked Cam Newton a question about one of his receivers. I was dismayed by his response, which not only belittled me but countless other women before me and beside me who work in similar jobs,” Ms Rodrigue said in a statement. “I sought Mr. Newton out as he left the locker room a few minutes later. He did not apologize for his comments.”
Mr Newton was condemned by the Association for Women in Sports Media and the Pro Football Writers of America. He eventually apologised for his remarks, but, later that year, stood firmly behind Panthers owner Jerry Richardson after Sports Illustrated published an exposé documenting a history of allegations of sexual misconduct and racism against him from employees.
Mr Richardson sold the team the following year, and a statue of him outside of the team’s Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte was removed two years later.
Mr Newton was drafted by the Panthers in 2011 and played the first nine years of his career there, leading the team to a Super Bowl appearance following the 2015 season. He returned to Charlotte last year after a single season with New England Patriots, going 0-5 as a starter. He is currently unsigned, though Panthers officials have not ruled out a reunion for the 2022 season.
