Five years ago, Cam Newton dissed a female reporter who asked him about passing routes at a press conference. “It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes,” the quarterback said.
On Monday, Newton said on a podcast he wants women to cook and be quiet.
Don’t let the dashing and extravagant wardrobe fool you: Newton appears to be a sexist straight out of the Archie Bunker school of gender studies. His views are ugly, loathsome and indefensible.
Good luck getting another job in the NFL.
Newton, who’s been one of the worst quarterbacks in football over the last two seasons, appeared on the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast and spit misogyny that could cost him millions of dollars worth of endorsements. Newton started his atavistic soliloquy by paying tribute to his mother, before launching into a bizarre rift about how women these days are too selfish — and not getting in line behind their men.
“Now a woman for me is, handling your own but knowing how to cater to a man’s needs. Right?,” Newton said. “And I think a lot of times when you get that aesthetic of ‘I’m a boss b—, Imma this, Imma that.’ No baby! But you can’t cook. You don’t know when to be quiet! You don’t know how to allow a man to lead.”
For added emphasis, Newton raised his voice a few octaves while ripping “boss chicks,” who presumably are independent and successful women.
It’s apparent Newton learned nothing from the backlash he received in 2017, when he ridiculed Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue for asking a football question at a football presser. The incident resulted in Dannon terminating its relationship with Newton, who was just two years removed from winning the MVP at that point.
In a subsequent apology, Newton described his word choice as “degrading and disrespectful to women,” though he didn’t mention Rodrigue by name.
Bringing up values in relation to NFL teams’ personnel moves is usually foolhardy. Teams don’t hesitate to bring in convicted or accused domestic abusers and sexual assaulters if they can help on the field. This offseason alone, we saw the Browns give Deshaun Watson $230 million guaranteed, despite 22 women levying accusations of sexual misconduct against him. The Dolphins traded for and signed Tyreek Hill to a $120 million extension, even though he choked out his then-pregnant girlfriend, and was investigated for child abuse.
The list goes on and on.
But cynically, Watson and Hill are great players, so teams swallow their non-existent morals and suffer through the criticism in exchange for wins. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam probably won’t care about being shunned at the NFL annual meetings if Watson leads the historically moribund franchise to playoff success.
Conversely, Newton can’t help any team win. He can barely throw the ball 10 yards downfield.
At this stage, Newton is a washed up quarterback with repugnantly dated views. While it’s true he’s faced an avalanche of unwarranted criticism in his career over silly things like his personal appearance and on-field celebrations, the ignorance of others doesn’t excuse his chauvinism.
Newton’s words are as ugly as his passes.