Former rookie of the year Cam Newton has the Carolina Panthers off to a 1-5 start this season, and has recently been excoriated by the media for a post-game press conference in which he expressed his disappointment with the team. Now, Newton is responding to the criticism, the Chicago Tribune reports.
“I just keep living life,” Newton told Chicago reporters Wednesday in a conference call about the Bears-Panthers game Sunday. “I understand I’m not perfect. I’m striving to be great. Whatever people may think, or whatever people may criticize me on, I take it for what it’s worth, and continuously try to make myself better each and every opportunity I get.”
Hall of fame quarterback Warren Moon, and mentor to Newton, claims the criticism stems from racism.
“I heard somebody compare him to Vince Young,” Moon said. “It’s the same old crap — it’s always a comparison of one black to another black. I get tired of it. I get tired of defending it.”
When asked about Moon’s comments, Newton said, “I haven’t heard anything he said. But obviously Warren is a person I go to for guidance and leadership on the field and off the field. When it comes to (racism) I don’t think there is any at all.”
