Former NFL players are not happy with the “disrespect” shown towards Cam Newton during a scuffle during a 7-on-7 football game in Atlanta on Sunday.
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe and All-Pro receiver Chad Johnson were furious while discussing the incident in the latest installment. Podcast “Nightcap”.
“Everyone thinks it’s cute. [to tell Newton he’s trash]. That’s not the case,” Sharp said. “It’s really embarrassing when someone takes time out of their day to try to give something back and you’re rude and ungrateful.
“Cam is so much better than me because I can’t stand my kids disrespecting me. If I’m going to let other people’s kids disrespect me, I’m going to be damned.” right.”
In a video posted to social media, Newton, a former MVP quarterback who played 11 seasons in the NFL, appears to be on the back foot during an altercation at an event sponsored by apparel and sports media company Weeball Sports.
according to The AthleticNewton was seen at the top of the stairs near the Wee Ball Sports tent during the event by officials from Top Shelf Performance, a wide receiver training facility in Atlanta that also had youth teams participating in the event. They called out to him, and the battle began. Then it spilled onto the grass.
Two of the men in contention are both top-shelf performance coaches who previously coached at Newton, sources told The Athletic.
Newton’s C1N program competed in a tournament that included under-15 and under-18 youth teams from Georgia and Alabama.
“Knowing Cam as well as I do… he’s not going to let this bother him,” Johnson said.
“If a guy like Cam Newton is going to give players an opportunity to show themselves in these 7-on-7 camps, we should take advantage of these situations. I’ve seen people disrespect Cam Newton many times.”
Sharpe agreed.
“Peyton and Eli [Manning] “We’ve been doing camps for 20-odd years,” Sharp added. “I’ve never seen any kids disrespectful to Peyton and Eli.”
Police and security personnel attending the event intervened and broke up the altercation, as seen in videos on social media.
Former NFL quarterback turned ESPN broadcaster Robert Griffin III also addressed the incident in a series of posts on X that included video footage of the scuffle.
“Cam Newton led Auburn to a Natty with one O-lineman starting an NFL game, but no one else recording NFL receptions, rushing attempts or pass attempts.” wrote Griffin. “He’s used to being a one-man army, so if you thought a few guys would jump over him and phase him, you’re damned. He didn’t even move a hat.”
In another post, Griffin wrote: “Honestly, I hate seeing this. No one, not even Cam Newton, should be disrespected like this. How do we stand up and stand up for our community when we’re attacking each other like this?” Can we get better and change the story?
“When you turn a 7-on-7 tournament into a brawl, people walk away with the false impression that it’s an event meant to bring people together for fun and competition. We want better than this. We have to be. We are better than this.
“The Cam Newton fight was an incredible feat of standing up for business and a huge demonstration that if we want to change the narrative, we have to stop attacking each other.”
The footage showed “guys trying to make Cam Newton jump,” and Newton received a “bad punch” in the face,” Griffin said in a reaction video shared with X.
We Ball Sports co-founder Nehemiah Mitchell said Newton and everyone involved in the altercation had been removed from the tournament, calling it an “unfortunate situation.”
Mitchell said Top Shelf defeated Newton’s C1N in a “heated game,” but there was a lot of trash talk between the under-18 teams.
In a joint statement to The Athletic, Top Shelf Performance trainers/coaches Stephon and TJ Brown said the company is “actively addressing this issue internally.”
“We are deeply concerned by the recent incident involving Mr. Cam Newton and our thoughts are with all parties affected,” the statement said. “Violence has no place in our community. We strongly condemn all forms of aggression.”
Newton has not yet publicly addressed the incident.
It’s unclear whether law enforcement was further involved.
Newton, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Auburn University, played 11 seasons with the Panthers and Patriots, earning three Pro Bowls and NFL MVP honors in 2015, leading the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance.
