Cam Newton had a rough day on Sunday. His New England Patriots got beaten 33-6 by the San Francisco 49ers, and he played so horribly that Bill Belichick was forced to bench him. The former league MVP’s stat line was something out of a horror movie: 98 total yards through the air and 3 interceptions.
Shortly after the Patriots’ loss, former NFL quarterback and current analyst Jeff Garcia went on a rant about Newton that immediately went viral.
“You go into this game with two touchdowns, four interceptions, you threw what, three more interceptions?” he said.
“You get yanked in the second half, there’s nothing good going your way. Why are you dressing like that to bring more attention to yourself? I’d be trying to ask the equipment managers ‘Put me in your jock sock cart and sneak me in the back door and I’ll show up on the field and do the best that I can.'”
On Monday, Newton appeared on WEEI’s Greg Hill show and responded to Garcia’s critique.
“What’s crazy is I agree with him,” Newton responded. “…It’s fair to say. I know I come off to so many different people so many different ways. He’s exactly right, but I’m not changing the way I dress.”
Cam Newton reacted to Jeff Garcia’s diatribe against his postgame wardrobe selections. pic.twitter.com/vlcgqYllu6
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) October 26, 2020
That’s one way to do it. https://t.co/A8wvEa1kB7
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 26, 2020
Newton’s attire has obviously been a popular topic of conversation over the past few months. How much that has impacted his play, as opposed to New England’s lack of offensive weapons or the havoc COVID-19 has wreaked on their team, is debatable.
During the interview, Newton also explained that he was working hard to figure out what the issue has been for him over the past couple of outings.
Antonio Brown doesn’t mess around. https://t.co/6kepeWGtBV
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 25, 2020
“The first thing I told myself when I got home: You keep playing like this, bro, and it’s going to be a permanent change,” he said.
“Whatever type of way we have to motivate ourselves, I’m honest with myself, so that leaves no type of miscommunication with others. When the change happened, I’m stuck on the sideline listening to plays like, ‘Is this really how you want to do things?
Championship coaches do championship things. https://t.co/Rt7179e8TK
— Game 7 (@game7__) October 22, 2020
“‘And is this how you want things to be be done? And until you take that step to get better — as you have been harping on these last couple weeks — then that’s what it’s going to be.’”
As things currently stand, Belichick maintains that Newton will be the Patriots’ starting quarterback going forward. However, if the team struggles against the Buffalo Bills in the way they did versus the Niners this week, it’s hard to see how Newton will be permitted to continue on in his current role.
Related: JR Smith Reveals Only Teammate He Ever Hated
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
