Category: Panthers legends

Panthers great Cam Newton reflects on his scary car accident from 2014

Panthers great Cam Newton recalled his scary car accident from 2014 on the latest episode of Club Shay Shay.

When you have a seat at Club Shay Shay, you best believe the discussion is going to go deep. And on the latest episode of his hit podcast, Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe went almost everywhere with Cam Newton, including to his near-death experience from almost a decade ago.

Towards the end of his three-hour sit-down with Newton, Sharpe asked the Carolina Panthers great about his car accident back in 2014. What followed was one heck of a reflection . . .

The accident happened less than half a mile away from Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 9, 2014, just a few days after the Panthers’ Week 14 win against the New Orleans Saints. Luckily for Newton, he only sustained two transverse fractures in his lower back—an extremely positive result considering what could have happened.

Newton would miss just one game, returning to the field less than two weeks later. He went on to lead Carolina to two more wins in clinching an improbable NFC South crown—their second in as many seasons.

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Cam Newton reveals he had recent conversation with Panthers QB Bryce Young

Cam Newton revealed that he had a brief conversation with Panthers QB Bryce Young not too long ago.

If there’s one person Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young should open his ear to, it’s probably franchise great Cam Newton. And according to Newton, he had that ear fairly recently.

The former MVP quarterback was this week’s guest on Club Shay Shay, the hit podcast hosted by Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe asked Newton, Carolina’s first-ever No. 1 overall pick, how the Panthers can get a maximum return on Young, Carolina’s second-ever No. 1 overall pick.

Here was his response:

Almost a year to the day (and a few days before being taken by the Panthers in the 2023 draft), Young actually spoke about a potential mentorship with Newton:

“And I have so much respect for him and look up to him,” Young said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “So, under any circumstance, whatever the scenario is—I feel like there’s so much that I can learn from him and I would love to learn from him. And again, from conversation to anything. I’ve learned a lot from him just from watching and just from being a fan as a player and as a person. In any capacity, being able to learn from him I feel like would be really great for me.”

Well, whatever was said during that brief conversation, hopefully Bryce got a lot out of it. And hopefully for the Panthers, they’re on the same page with their last franchise quarterback so they can get a lot out of their current one.

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Former Panthers WR Ted Ginn Jr. reciprocates love from Cam Newton

Ted Ginn Jr. appreciated the special shoutout from his former QB Cam Newton.

Ted Ginn Jr. just tipped his cap (or his Meshika depending on who you ask) to his old pal Cam Newton.

Last week, the former NFL Most Valuable Player and Carolina Panthers legend was asked what receiver (other than tight end Greg Olsen) was his favorite throughout his career. Newton didn’t even hesitate to answer.

“Ted Ginn,” he replied in a clip posted to the 4th & 1 with Cam Newton Twitter/X account. “Ted had a very high IQ. And I don’t think he was ever featured like he was featured during the Carolina Panthers days, ’cause he scared so many people with his speed. And you couldn’t out, overthrow the [expletive].”

Well, those words weren’t thrown over Ginn Jr. either.

The retired wideout posted the following to Newton’s praise just a few days later:

The two helped push the Panthers to a pair of NFC South titles (2013 and 2015) as well as the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl appearance. Over his three years in Carolina, Ginn Jr. reeled in 134 catches for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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Panthers great Greg Olsen nominated for another Sports Emmy

Greg Olsen is up for another Sports Emmy.

Greg Olsen is continuing his broadcasting excellence.

As announced on Tuesday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers great has been nominated for another Sports Emmy. This time, he’s up as an Outstanding Personality in the Event Analyst category.

The highly-acclaimed and well-received FOX color commentator has some strong competition for the honors. Joining the former tight end as his fellow nominees are ESPN’s Troy Aikman, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth, CBS’ Bill Raftery, FOX’s John Smoltz and FOX’s Tom Verducci.

If Olsen captures the gold here, it wouldn’t be his first victory on this stage. He won last year’s award for Outstanding Personality as an Emerging On-Air Talent—beating out the likes of Andraya Carter, Robert Griffin III, Eli Manning and JJ Redick.

But despite the recognition, Olsen is likely to take a backseat to Tom Brady—who is slated to join the NFL on FOX team as their lead color guy in 2024. Knowing that change is coming, the seven-time Super Bowl champion and three-time Most Valuable Player praised Olsen for his work back in January.

“I think Greg’s done an incredible job,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I have so much respect for him, how he approaches his job. He’s super-prepared in what he does. I think he does an incredible job every time he’s on. I love listening to him.”

We do too, Tom. We do too.

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WATCH: Panthers great Cam Newton gives kids a moment they won’t soon forget

How many kids can say they’ve had a catch with an NFL MVP?

Imagine you’re throwing around the pigskin with your friend and a former NFL Most Valuable Player suddenly appears out of nowhere to join you.

Crazy, right?

Well, maybe it’s not that crazy . . .

This past weekend, Carolina Panthers legend Cam Newton was seen joining in on the fun with a couple of kids. According to Kyle Boone of CBS Sports, who posted the video on Sunday night, the MVP quarterback pulled up to a throwing session at the play area of a resort.

Check it out:

Newton has always taken the time out to make a positive impact on the youth. Whether he’s running his 7-on-7 program, hosting a Nickelodeon show to help children achieve their dreams or simply giving away a football after scoring a touchdown, we know that Cammy Cam loves the kids.

And while he may not end up producing any more memories on an NFL field, Newton surely just gave those lucky youngsters a moment they probably won’t forget.

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Panthers great Cam Newton reveals his favorite receiver (other than Greg Olsen)

Who was Cam Newton’s favorite non-Greg Olsen target from his NFL career? The former MVP had an emphatic answer for that.

Asking Cam Newton for his favorite pass catcher from his NFL career is an exercise in futility. (We all know it’s his dawg.) So, the field has to be narrowed down a bit.

While filming this week’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers legend took the following question from a fan:

Newton and former tight end Greg Olsen spent nine seasons together in Carolina—a run that saw three NFC South titles, four total playoff appearances and a trip to Super Bowl 50. Their partnership also helped produce a Most Valuable Player Award for Newton and a three-year string of 1,000-yard receiving campaigns for Olsen—a then-NFL record for the position.

But with Greg off the table, who would Cam take . . . ?

“Ted Ginn,” he replied emphatically. “Ted had a very high IQ. And I don’t think he was ever featured like he was featured during the Carolina Panthers days, ’cause he scared so many people with his speed. And you couldn’t out, overthrow the [expletive].”

Ginn was in on two of those three division titles, including the one that resulted in their NFC championship win in 2015. Over three total seasons with Newton and the Panthers, the speed merchant recorded 134 catches for 2,047 yards and 19 touchdowns.

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Panthers great Cam Newton explains key difference between Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule

Panthers great Cam Newton: “I would kick it with Matt Rhule.”

There’s no question, even to the most novice eye of the game, that former Carolina Panthers head coaches Ron Rivera and Matt Rhule were two completely different Carolina Panthers head coaches. And a certain someone who played under both men spoke about why.

While talking about the dynamic between pro athletes and their higher-ups on Friday’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, franchise great Cam Newton was asked about the differences between Rivera and Rhule. He responded to co-host Omari “Peggy” Collins by saying that Rhule’s lack of a playing background in the NFL showed.

“And that’s not no slight to Matt Rhule,” Newton stated. “Matt Rhule was an unbelievable guy. So much so, that when I say ‘unbelievable,’ I’m like, yo, he’s a guy that I would kick it with. We had great conversations. We had great meetings and great insights on the game, family, religion—just the whole process to how we both got to this situation.

“But it was a little different coming from Ron Rivera. He knew what it was like to be a player in certain situations. Practice intensity, locker room tension, knowing how to get the most out of their players—it’s just certain different tactics you have to go about.”

While the circumstances were vastly different, Newton probably had a much better experience with Rivera—a former Super Bowl-winning linebacker. The two spent nine years together in Carolina, where they secured three NFC South titles and the organization’s second-ever trip to the Super Bowl.

Newton’s time with Rhule lasted just half a season, as the Panthers brought back the 2015 Most Valuable Player to help save their 2021 season. But even Superman couldn’t save that ship from ultimately sinking.

Regardless, perhaps we’ll see Newton and Rhule kick it some time down the line.

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Panthers great Cam Newton challenges Skip Bayless to high-stakes shootout

Cam Newton and Skip Bayless may actually be on the verge of competing against one another in a 3-point shootout.

Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton just took his friendly feud with larger-than-life sports personality Skip Bayless a step further.

With the two seemingly on the verge of setting up a 3-point shootout, the NFL’s former Most Valuable Player laid down a pretty serious stipulation in response to Bayless’ recent challenge.

Here’s the clip of Cam’s conditions from Friday’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton:

In case you missed it, Bayless may have attempted to strike some fear into Newton (we think) by posting a . . . um . . . nicely-edited video of his latest shooting sesh this past week:

This (obviously) isn’t the first time Skip has hit the hardwood. Bayless actually played high school ball at Northwest Classen in Oklahoma City, Okla.—where he averaged 1.4 points per game during the 1970 season.

Newton isn’t a stranger to the game either. While he may not have a sick highlight heel like Skip’s, Cam did star in Auburn’s intramural basketball league upon a return to his alma mater in 2013.

So, it seems the ball is now in Skip’s court.

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Panthers great Cam Newton reveals what was said in 2018 altercation with Kelvin Benjamin

Cam Newton pulled back the curtain on the 2018 altercation with ex-teammate Kelvin Benjamin.

Cam Newton pulled back the curtain on yet another interesting moment in Carolina Panthers history.

In the summer of 2018, Newton’s Panthers were set for preseason action against the Buffalo Bills and Kelvin Benjamin—who had spent the first three and a half years of his NFL career in Carolina. But a few weeks prior to that matchup, the disgruntled wide receiver expressed some unflattering impressions of his time with Cam in an interview with The Athletic:

I mean, I felt like I would’ve been even more successful if … I don’t know, man … If I would’ve … Looking back on it, I should’ve just been drafted by somebody else. I should’ve never went to Carolina. Truly, I just think Carolina was bad for me. It was a bad fit from the get-go. If you would’ve put me with any other quarterback, let’s be real, you know what I’m saying? Any other accurate quarterback like Rodgers or Eli Manning or Big Ben — anybody! — quarterbacks with knowledge, that know how to place a ball and give you a better chance to catch the ball. It just felt like I wasn’t in that position.

As the teams were warming up for the exhibition, Newton went over to Benjamin to get some clarity on his words. Here’s how it went down:

So, what was said?

The 2015 Most Valuable Player revealed what happened on this week’s episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton:

Benjamin played just two full seasons in Carolina—where he amassed 1,008 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2014, followed by 941 yards and seven scores in 2016. The former first-round pick would then be traded to Buffalo in the middle of the 2017 campaign.

He’d never come close to the same success he had with Newton, totaling just 597 yards and two touchdowns away from the Panthers. Benjamin lasted just one more season following his departure—with his final NFL snap coming in 2018.

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Panthers great Steve Smith Sr. asked if he’s ‘all in’ on Bryce Young

Steve Smith Sr. on Bryce Young’s disappointing rookie season: “A smart kid can look dumb if he’s around a lot of dumb people.”

Around this time last year, Carolina Panthers great Steve Smith Sr. hitched his wagon to Bryce Young. But after a rough rookie season for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, is the wagon still attached?

Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III asked him that on Thursday’s episode of RG3 and The Ones. And while he didn’t give a definitive answer, Smitty offered some interesting insight.

“Well, I liked Bryce Young initially,” he replied. “Right? We have to pick a guy. That’s our job. We have to pick a guy. Because I picked Bryce and said we should go with Bryce, that doesn’t mean that I think C.J. [Stroud] can’t play. I said, just like other people reported, Bryce’s processing was faster than C.J.’s.

“But at the end of the day, a smart kid can look dumb if he’s around a lot of dumb people. And a dumb kid, or a smart kid, can be really smart if he’s around a lot of smart people. And what I’m sayin’ is — you’re only as good as your company, and your company can only heighten and elevate you.”

Unfortunately, that company didn’t do much to heighten the 5-foot-10 quarterback. Between his wide receivers struggling to separate and his offensive line allowing the second-most sacks in the NFL, Young turned in a sour first season.

Young, who also lost his head coach after 12 weeks and experienced multiple changes at the offensive coordinator position, threw for just 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions while averaging 179.8 passing yards per game. The other quarterback Smith mentioned, by the way, averaged a league-high 273.9 passing yards a contest, made the Pro Bowl and captured Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

But hopefully for Young, he’ll be hanging around some more smart people in 2024.

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