Cam Newton Part 2

Cam Newton continues the fascinating glimpse into his remarkable journey, touching on everything from his iconic 2015 NFL season to the rockiness of his time at the University of Florida. Reflecting on his Super Bowl run and MVP performance, Cam shares candid insights into the mental and emotional toll of the big game, including the infamous fumble that haunted him in his Carolina Panthers’ loss to Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. Then, he delves into his extensive collegiate experiences. Cam talks about his time with the Florida Gators, which did not pan out as Cam expected because Urban Meyer was not as committed to Cam as he was to Tim Tebow. Cam also says the Netflix documentary focusing on Florida did not do a good enough job capturing the toxicity and chaos of a locker room comprised of guys like Aaron Hernandez, the Pouncey Brothers, Joe Haden and Percy Harvin. Cam also addresses the controversies surrounding his recruitment to Auburn and the resilience that propelled him through the adversity and into success, eventually culminating with a National Championship for Auburn. As the conversation ranges from confronting Alabama fans in the Iron Bowl, the recent scuffle he got in at his 7on7 camp, living next door to Michael Jordan, his parenting philosophy, near-death experience and not defining his legacy on whether or not he makes the NFL Hall of Fame, Cam's trademark personality shines through as he navigates numerous topics with depth and sincerity. Cam Newton offers a rare glimpse into the heart and mind of a football icon, providing valuable insights that resonate far beyond the gridiron.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you for you coming back. Part two is underway.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Let's talk about that Super Bowl run, that magical season.
You're fifteen and one, you win the MVP outright. Steve
McNair shared the MVP of Ward with Peyton Manning in
two thousand and three. What changed for you? What clicked
that year that everything fell into place? Thirty five passes, touchdowns,
ten receptions, you had another I think ten Russing touchdowns,

(00:26):
come from behind victory.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
You guys did it all.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
What transpired that year that you was like, I got it.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
It was definitely harmony, but also a trust in coaching,
knowing that that's really when Riverboat Run was giving me
an opportunity, Like I feel comfortable with the ball in
my hands. Let me run. I know how to protect myself.
I know how the chest of the philosophy of the game.

(00:58):
If we're in any short yardag shit situations, let's make
the defense play eleven on eleven. Just leave me with
one guy.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
I can run through, run, pass, go around.

Speaker 3 (01:08):
I can find a way to get a yard, put
the ball in my hands and have I think they
that was the year they had more design runs and
that's why I felt comfortable, like when you look at
all the success that I had in my career high school,
even in college, I was able to protect myself by
running the football, even though that the game at that

(01:30):
point in time didn't see nothing like that. I don't
know what they're gonna do with, you know, taking the
hit socket I could protect myself outside the pocket.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Now we see.

Speaker 3 (01:41):
Richardson and the Colts, we see Lamar, we see you
know all these run first quarterbacks that they.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Was designed the run. You guys had power. You pull
the guard to tackle and the fullback and we're.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Gonna figure it out. Let's get the butter.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Front the duck. You know what I'm saying That that
was the time where things started coming into play. Then
you started saying, let's design passes off of this, pull
the same guard, the same full back ride, and then
boom the RPOs. So when people talking about the RPO like,
these are the things that derived from something we was

(02:18):
doing that with a quarterback as the runner.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah, the major primary ball caids. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yea. So my relationship with Mike Schuler Ken Dorsey was
my quarterback coach and even coach Rivera like it was
messioned that year, and that's where it pretty much came
down to.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
You beat the Cardinals in the NBC Championship Game. You
destroyed them, and you get to the super Bowl. So
what's your thought process? You're like, Man, I'm the MVP,
I'm in the super Bowl. It was a glory. It
was a beautiful day and Levi Stadium, Remember super Bowl fifty.
Bremer liked yesterday my Broncos taking on the Carolina Panthers.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
What do you remember? Go back?

Speaker 2 (02:56):
What do you remember about We woke up that morning,
probably had the same program.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
What were your pregame meal?

Speaker 3 (03:04):
Shit, I don't know, I know the night before the game?

Speaker 1 (03:09):
What that was? Would you have the night before the game?

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Vanilla bean ice cream, marshmallow's caramel?

Speaker 1 (03:17):
That was mine?

Speaker 2 (03:17):
You, I mean, you ain't have no possible forgett it,
no meatball, none of that. I did, But that's just
whatever they had.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
So you wake up that morning, you have your pregame meal.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
Only thing I remember from that Super Bowl was I
was mentally drained.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
It was a lie, and.

Speaker 3 (03:39):
Still to this I ain't never really watched the game,
no film, no coaches view, and none of that. Ship
I was I remember that feeling during the game, I'm tired,
like tired.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
I remember running around. I was like, yo, it's.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Real hours on the sideline, you know what I'm saying,
but still trying to stay focos. The halftime wasn't fifteen minutes.
It was damn near forty five minutes or hour. Motherfuckers
was changing their whole uniform, having to restretch, retape all that.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
I'm like, damn, like, this shit is a event.

Speaker 3 (04:16):
And during the game, certain scrambles or certain runs, I
was tired, and knowing the measure of what was the
mental task, I just thought I was like, damn, I'm
ready for this shit to be over with, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
And that didn't impact the game.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
I just remember like I had just had my first
biological son that year, and I was just I don't know,
it was like I could It was two times in
my life that I couldn't lose, right. It was twenty
fifteen in Carolina and Dan in twenty ten at Offer

(05:02):
that was just you know what Drake say, or the future?

Speaker 1 (05:05):
What a time to be alive?

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Like whether it were you tied mentally, were you tied emotionally,
were you tied physically. What was it about that day?
Was it the magnitude of the moment? Was it you
knew what you were about to embark upon and how
different your life would have been had you won that game?

Speaker 1 (05:23):
What? What?

Speaker 2 (05:24):
What felt different about that day that you all of
a sudden you felt like you didn't normally do normally.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
I tried to treat it like a regular game, but
it wasn't a regular game. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
You played in the school, like you know, like it's
you can explain it, but to be in it.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
Them lights is bright, the crowd.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
Is already buzzing because normally you want out do you
go out there for pregame? This is stadium half full,
that's the stadium is three quarter full.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
And it's buzzing. The sideline is jam packed.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
You got to excuse me, excuse me, camera people, And
like you said, the celebs normally have one or two celebs,
but you got the start the stars that's out on
the sideline then and you see it. But you know,
like you said, you try to prepare like that it's
a regular game. You know, a three points for a
field goal touchdown to six intercessory.

Speaker 3 (06:11):
But the thing leading up at the game. You couldn't
do your regular routine. It was like a virtual kind
of preparation. You couldn't have the confines of your house
to get treatment, you know, massage, stretching, and that process
was on the road on the goal. And I don't

(06:35):
remember the crowd being loud, you know what I'm saying, Like.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
No, because you got half the stadium was for the Broncos.
Half the stadium was for the Carolina Panthers. The other
half was drunk and they ain't give a damn who.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
It was an event that, you know, when I think
about it, it didn't like none of this has anything.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
To do with the actual game.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right, But certain players that played back in my mind
constantly still to this day. It's like, Yo, what if
he would have caught that, or what if I would
have dole on the fumble? What if you know, the
defense would have got to stop right here? Or what
if you know we didn't have a three or out
right there? You know what I'm saying, what if we
would have went for? Like these things played back constantly

(07:19):
that preparing for a game of that magnitude.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
I did not.

Speaker 3 (07:26):
Give the respect to it, like I should because there's
nothing bigger than the Super Bowl, no sporting event, and that's.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
What I just you know, you know they're gonna pick
a part about what you said about you being tired,
you being this game you felt different.

Speaker 3 (07:42):
Than Yeah, but it's the truth. I mean, look, did
I play my best game?

Speaker 1 (07:47):
No? No, didn't. But the truth is did Peyton Many
play his best game? No?

Speaker 2 (07:53):
No, both of you guys, I think will sack like
four or five times through a pig fumble.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, like those things are.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
It's just that wasn't the best version of myself that day,
and I'm fine with that, and I found peace in
it now. I wouldn't even say it wasn't meant to be.
It was just like I just didn't put my best
foot forward.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
That funer you mentioned, you got stripped of the ball
and the balls on the ground bouncing around, and everybody
thought you were going to jump dive on the ball
at least give yourself another possession and another opportunity. That
didn't happen. How long has it taken? How long or
have you gotten over that play? And how long did

(08:36):
it take you to get over the Super Bowl losses?

Speaker 1 (08:39):
I mean I took it personal pretty much like a
whole year.

Speaker 3 (08:46):
And then when I felt like we could get vindicated
or have vengeance or revenge from that, we lost because
of miss field goal and the.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
Rematch to start the season kick off. But yeah, that's
what I take.

Speaker 3 (09:04):
I mean, I'll say that we didn't lose the game
because I didn't jump on the phone. It was a
combination of a lot of a lot of different things.
But we lost, And I take full accountability on my
you know, performance, and I could have been better.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
I should have been better.

Speaker 2 (09:20):
Right, So the part of your we've touched on a
lot of things, and you touched on a lot of things.
The one thing that you didn't haven't touched a lot
on that I can't recall is your brief stint at
the University of Florida. They win the national championship the
year before you got there.

Speaker 3 (09:39):
Correct, Yes, as I was enrolling, they were winning Richard Championship. Sir,
Tim Tebow is already there, you know, because Chris Leak
is the starter of Tim Tebow comes in.

Speaker 1 (09:52):
They got packaged for him.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Yeah, he's probably going to be the start of next
year unless you being camp and I know you, I
know how you think I'm gonna beat I'm gonna go
get this job.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
But that's what That's not how I was recruited, though
I was recruited at the minimum.

Speaker 1 (10:08):
With your skill set, you will have a pack. You
have a package.

Speaker 3 (10:11):
Also, it's like t bo okay, and that's what okay, okay,
y'all won the national championship.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
A lot of these guys coming back. I could do that.

Speaker 3 (10:21):
You know what I'm saying, Like I'm looking at the stuff.

Speaker 1 (10:23):
You know what I'm saying myself, like, that's me. I
could do that. This is me at the to get
my feet.

Speaker 3 (10:29):
Wet in the SEC as a freshman.

Speaker 1 (10:33):
Folk plays a game just to run.

Speaker 3 (10:35):
Then I could do that the fun Let's play linebacker
early on in my wreck ball and then I transitioned
into running back. Then that transition into I could throw
the furthest so now you can play quarterbacks. So these
things is a part of my whole thing that embodied
who I was.

Speaker 1 (10:53):
That's a player.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
So you get there and it's not shaping up kind
of how they what they had told you or the
way you envision it, because all of a sudden you're
not getting these four to five plays a game, and
so did you have a conversation with Urban.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
Urban was he didn't want to talk to me. I
wasn't important enough for Urban to talk to me. And granted,
you gotta think about it like this, do you even
have a voice to talk when the person you're trying
to talk about is the Heisman front runner? Yeah, So
I had a conversation with my father to say, like, Pop,

(11:32):
it's time to kind of rethink this thing, because I
would not have worn it a backup to me to
have the energy to say I only can play if
he get hurt. I'm not that type of person, right right.
You don't want to put that negative in there yet
I was. I'm an ultimate pro. I'm an ultimate teammate.
Like I wanted people to succeed. You see what I'm saying,

(11:55):
Like I didn't want t Bo to get hurt. He's
the greatest college football player to some people. You know
what I'm saying, And it's subjective. If not number one,
he top five and Tim Tebow is old a large
portion of who Cam Newton really is because just like
just the same way I gave you, what sparked my

(12:18):
aggression or my competitive nature with Jimmy Causon It sparked
the same thing with Tim Tebow being around Aaron Hernandez,
the Pouncy Twins, Chris Rainey, Joe Hayden, Carlos Dunlap, Major Right,
Percy Harvin, like Brandon James, Brandon Spikes, these Louis Murphy,
all these.

Speaker 1 (12:36):
Great players that I was around.

Speaker 3 (12:38):
I would have been a fool not to take what
they were doing and what made them great and applied.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
To my journey in Juco as well as over.

Speaker 2 (12:46):
Right, So some things transpired. You ge get into a
little trouble with a computer and you end up But.

Speaker 3 (12:54):
That wasn't the reason why I left, the reason why
I left, Like, did I get in trouble, Yes, that
was already tooken care of prior to me leaving.

Speaker 2 (13:03):
Oh okay, okay, yeah I didn't get kicked out of them.
But see that's but see that's how they framed the story.

Speaker 1 (13:08):
Yeah, I didn't get kicked out of Florida. I left Florida.

Speaker 3 (13:12):
And when Tebow announced that, oh and by the way,
I'm coming back, I gotta leave now. I wasn't playing
when you was here. So and and then, for urban's sake,
you couldn't even identify who the backup was between me
and John Bradley.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
I'm like, bro, what the what are we going up?
We're fighting for scraps.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
Y'all can have this cool if it was up to me,
what did I want to leave Hell now?

Speaker 1 (13:43):
Because there was my my brothers.

Speaker 3 (13:47):
Like, we build real relationships over that two year span
that I was there. We worked out together, we trained together,
we bled together, we cried together, we sweated together, we
we prepared together. And I'm seeing guys like Joe Hayden
play early as a freshman. I said, Damn, Bro, I
would love to have an opportunity to play Marquise Pouncy
playing early man. I would have loved to air her

(14:09):
Nande's playing Earth. I would have loved to be out
there and those things when they're like Bro, like we'll
go back to the dorms and have these conversations, like bro,
that ship was lit, like bro, like you said, all
those people in there said the damn I wish I
saw him, But that wasn't.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
It wasn't. It wasn't for me. You know.

Speaker 3 (14:24):
The main everything, all the reasons why I went to
Florida was accomplished other than me playing, And that's why
I had to leave, and at that time they'd had
to transfer Portal, so I had to get it out
the mud. You. Irvin Mayer had to sign off to
where I transferred to.

Speaker 1 (14:45):
He gave certain restrictions. You cannot transfer to uh in state,
in state school, so f.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
A, U f I U, Florida State. I couldn't go
to none of them. And I couldn't go anywhere CEC.
So I said, how do I clear all that so
I can go anywhere? I gotta go Juco? I said, shit,
I'm going Juco. And on top of that, what really
ticked me the fuck off was when my father had
called Urban to ask for a championship ring. He didn't

(15:17):
give me a championship ring. So that really was my
driving force to becoming the player.

Speaker 1 (15:24):
Who I was.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
I said, don't worry about it. I'm gonna go get
my own. Got one at Juco, got one at Auburn.

Speaker 2 (15:33):
You could make the case given the talent that you
had at Auburn on the offensive side, cam you had
the greatest offensive season for a quarterback, and then in
NCAA history. Now, I know Joe Burrow threw for sixty
touchdowns and five thousand yards, but he had Justin Jefferson,
he had Jamar Chase, he had Clyde Edwards, a layer

(15:53):
he had I forget the guy's name. Hes tight end
lost it. Tight end Andy had to. If I'm not
miss thinking of other wide receiver. The third wide receiver
is in Carolina now, So what you had, look at
the look at what you didn't have, and what you
were able to accomplish. So basically, Jimmy close, a little

(16:15):
fire up under you, Tim Tebow, little fire up under
you in urban, little fire up under you, not only
by not playing you the four or five snap that
he said he would give you, but also when you
asked for a championship ring for being on the team
that you felt you were entitled to like, nah, were good.

Speaker 3 (16:32):
Yeah, but that's what made that what they call it,
that's what created the monster, right.

Speaker 1 (16:38):
And if I could paint it the way I wanted
to paint it.

Speaker 3 (16:42):
While I was at Auburn, there was an opportunity for
Auburn to play Florida in the SEC channel.

Speaker 1 (16:47):
That's what you.

Speaker 3 (16:48):
Wanted, now, what you want to cam, no racial slur,
but boy, they would have seen a bat boon out
that motherfucker. I would have showed my whole boy, That's
what I wanted. I wanted to prove to them that
they fucked that they made a mistake. I knew that

(17:08):
was my point to prove I was better than Tibo.
That was my opportunity to prove that y'all fucked up.
That was my opportunity to prove that this could have
been y'all.

Speaker 1 (17:17):
But you played me.

Speaker 3 (17:19):
And there was times where I would be the first
person to tell you while I was at the University
of Florida, I was not the maturest person that I
needed to be to lead that team, and I would
take responsibility for that.

Speaker 1 (17:32):
But who I grew to be. Nobody was fucking with me.
But by the time you came back, that was the
mature Cam Newton.

Speaker 3 (17:41):
I needed to I needed alienation in Juco. I was
in Brenham, Texas, and if I were to give you
the amount of money that you got from Cat Williams
to put up on the line to say where's Brenham, Texas,
you couldn't coin it out. And everybody who was in
Renom on that team, they had some roots or ties

(18:03):
to Texas.

Speaker 1 (18:04):
So there was many weekends.

Speaker 3 (18:06):
There was many times where the closest family member was
thousands of miles away.

Speaker 1 (18:12):
Only thing I could do was workout. I cried.

Speaker 3 (18:15):
I mean, I was vulnerable. I was embarrassed. But that
shaped the creation of who Cam was. People don't remember this.
When I was at the University of Florida, they called
me Cameron Newton. Yeah, when I went to Auburn, it
was Cam Newton. So for me, that was the creation

(18:37):
of Cam two completely different people. I knew how to
compartmentalize those different people, and I didn't let that situation
use me.

Speaker 1 (18:49):
I used it. And when I look at my impact.

Speaker 3 (18:53):
To football, I love to say people's favorite NFL player
just started the get good in the NFL. I've been
good at football, by the grace of God. I was
good in high school, I was good in college, I
was good in junior college, and I was good in
the NFL. There's not a lot of players that can

(19:14):
say that. And it took a measure of focus and
discipline and also vulnerableness to understand, like Bro, like you,
I here by yourself. So when I talk to my
seven or seven kids, when I talk to kids around,
you know the world, and I tell them, like Bro,
I know what it's like to not have shit and

(19:36):
you so close to what you want.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
It ain't out of your reach.

Speaker 3 (19:41):
You just got to tap in and use this game
of football and not get jaded by the distractions, the money,
the nils, the the.

Speaker 1 (19:54):
Woman, all these different things. Stay focused.

Speaker 2 (19:58):
You go to Auburn. Then there's this Auburn bought Cam Newton.
His daddy received this large monetary summer money.

Speaker 1 (20:09):
How what would so? So, what's going on? How did
this come about?

Speaker 3 (20:12):
Allegedly?

Speaker 1 (20:13):
Yes, you know.

Speaker 2 (20:20):
Before you so, where were the schools that you could
have gone to? Okay, you go to Auburn. So where
after Blend? Where were your choices?

Speaker 3 (20:29):
Oklahoma, Kansas State, Mississippi State, Auburn. It was a whole
different recruitment process when I was in jew Ko.

Speaker 1 (20:39):
Rather than coming out of high school ship out.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
Of high school, I was looking for gear and a
good time right by way of you know, female the hostesses,
Yeah and Juko. Oh I was I was a millionaire mentality.
How are y'all going to incorporate me in this offense
with my skill set?

Speaker 1 (21:01):
Not what.

Speaker 3 (21:03):
Sam Bradford was doing, because that ain't how I play
the game. I'm gonna bring a whole different element of
this offense that you gotta start shaping some shit around
Kansas State the same way Misssippi State.

Speaker 1 (21:15):
Dann Mullen right, and he.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
Knew Dan Mullin was the officive coordinator and the quarterback
coach while I was at Florida. Okay, so you have
some familiarity. There were a lot of familiarity. And his
plan was I remember coach Muller had called me, and
at that time, me being the type of player I was,
if a coach calling you, that means you ain't going
to study hall, you didn't go to class.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
It was something.

Speaker 3 (21:41):
But this conversation was him telling me that he was
going Misisispi State to Missippi State. It ended up being
mischiss State. He didn't tell me the team, and I
was saying to myself, well, he asked he wanted me
to consider transferring to Misisisppi State, but coach not Mamason.

Speaker 1 (21:58):
Coach Meyer, Urban had to.

Speaker 3 (22:01):
Sign off on that, and I knew he wasn't going
to sign off for that, so I had to go
to junior college. Now, when you when you say the
things like going through the whole n.

Speaker 1 (22:14):
Cuba pay for play scandal.

Speaker 3 (22:18):
This is where I don't think I've ever had the
opportunity to share this. If you really go back and
you know the reports to what it said, it said
two sources, yes, said that Cam Newton and his father
took money to go.

Speaker 1 (22:39):
To Auburn.

Speaker 3 (22:42):
Those two sources was Dan Mullen and his wife Megan Mullen.

Speaker 1 (22:49):
How do we get to that, I'll tell you.

Speaker 3 (22:54):
The day I was going to commit to Auburn out
of junior college, it was neck and neck Missippi State, Mississippi.

Speaker 1 (23:03):
State of Auburn.

Speaker 3 (23:04):
When I went to Auburn, as my mentor was solely
focused on success, I was really trying to play catch
up to the Joe Haydens, the Marquise Pouncy's, the Aaron
Nandez who were already in the league. And I said
to myself, we came in together in Florida, they already
in the league. I'm trying to find the fastest way

(23:25):
that I can get to the league. When I went
to Auburn, they mentioned that they would have twenty two
seniors coming back.

Speaker 1 (23:34):
Mississippi State probably only had three to four.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
These are all different things As a twenty year old
college player and a sixteen seventeen year old kid. You
don't think that that's a big thing, but it really is.
My whole determined factor was I wanted to go to
a school that could get me to a BCS game.

(24:00):
It was either the Tosedos Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl,
whatever if I went there, and my tenure at that school,
I was going top ten because I knew in order
for us to get there, I would have to play
my best former football. When I was about to commit
to Auburn, one of the things that my father told

(24:20):
me that I had to do as a man. He said,
you got to call coach Mullen and you have to
tell him the decision that you're gonna make.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
Be a man. Said, damn, Pop, Like, why.

Speaker 3 (24:33):
Though, you know what I'm saying, you gonna find you
know what I'm saying, But that's how.

Speaker 1 (24:41):
My father raised me. He said, So you're gonna have
to be a man.

Speaker 3 (24:45):
And that's that's that's where I always challenge society. Now
we need more men empowering men, not boys raising boys.
You did you know what I'm saying. But certain circumstances
play out like that. But to that point, I put
a lot of focus on my font. I said, pop,
you a man of God. If it's on your heart

(25:06):
to wherever we're gonna decide to go, that's where we're
gonna go.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
Man.

Speaker 3 (25:10):
At that time, we were exploring so many different things,
and he came back wrote it down on a sheet
of paper.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
I unlooked.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
I looked at it. It had Auburn on it. I said,
I ain't gonna even question it. That's where we're going.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (25:27):
That day that I was gonna make it public, I
had to call Coach Mullen.

Speaker 1 (25:32):
I remember having a conversation.

Speaker 3 (25:33):
It was extremely awkward because when I called him, he answered,
how's my quarterback doing? And I said, Coach, I just
wanted to be a man to call you and tell
you and Miss Megan that I'm going to Auburn.

Speaker 1 (25:51):
Now.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
I didn't want you to hear it through the grape vines.
I don't want you to hear it on ESPN. I
wanted to be a man to call you. And he
asked me this question, but how cam like you know?
I was going to do right by you. We need you,
And I gave him this quote. It was just too
good to be true now, too good to be true

(26:11):
for me was you got twenty two seniors. They battle tested.
I ain't going into a locker room with freshmen. These
they ready to win right now. They just need me
to propel them to elite status. Missippi State needed meet
and son, and I don't think Mississippi State garners the

(26:32):
measure of recruits like Corol. It's Mississippi State here and
still Misippi State at that particular point in time.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
And I heard Miss Meghan in the background. I was like,
did he commit?

Speaker 3 (26:45):
Did he commit?

Speaker 1 (26:46):
He was like no, And then that's when I talked
to her.

Speaker 3 (26:48):
I was like, man, I just apologized, but this is
a business decision that I'm sad and.

Speaker 1 (26:54):
That it didn't work out.

Speaker 3 (26:56):
Had that conversation when I was twenty and I thought
I was doing the right thing. So fast forward to
the success going on at Auburn. First game we played
Arkansas State. I think the next game or the first
prime time game we had was versus Mississippi State. It

(27:17):
was on a Thursday night. We ended up winning that
football game. And I'm big on energy. I'm big on
just posture and certain things. At the end of the game,
I looked at him and I wanted I wanted to
shake his hand and say coach man, appreciate you, man,
thank you. And it was iffy though, No, what the what?

(27:41):
What the hood teach you like? You know what I'm saying,
like my spidery sense.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
Was he on some bull you did?

Speaker 3 (27:48):
You know what I'm saying, I ain't really know what
it was.

Speaker 1 (27:50):
His wife was there.

Speaker 3 (27:51):
We spoke condolences, man, good luck for the rest of
the year. You know what I'm saying, bose bla. The
report came two weeks after that, and if you remember,
it was two sources.

Speaker 1 (28:08):
It was Dan Mullen and his wife that created all this.

Speaker 3 (28:15):
Ruckus Cam and his daddy took money. Now fast forward
to now when it's becoming a big story. I remember
after the game, we had another prime time game on
Saturday night, we played South Carolina. That was when the
world knew who Cam knew. It was.

Speaker 1 (28:35):
Another phone called by coach Coach Chizzick.

Speaker 3 (28:37):
And anybody who played at Auburn new if somebody's calling
you from a no call, ID, it's Coach Chizy. That
ain't a good call that you want to have. But
I was in good standards, you know what I'm saying.
We undefeated at that particular point thing you said, Cam,
I need to talk to you and your Are your
parents still in town?

Speaker 1 (28:54):
Say?

Speaker 3 (28:54):
Yes, sir said, I need y'all to come to my
office and we need to have a conversation. Cool boom,
I'm thinking, you know about to just stayed the typical.

Speaker 1 (29:01):
Are you doing an amazing job?

Speaker 3 (29:02):
Blah blah blah, y'all rather unbelievable goodness, it's working out fine.

Speaker 1 (29:09):
I remember it.

Speaker 3 (29:10):
Look it was me, my mom and my dad and
Coach Chiswick sitting across from us. And you know, Coach Chiswick,
you know, hey, I just want to let y'all know
it's about to be a report that comes out that
a scandal. Uh and the nc double is about to
do an investigation on you guys's family.

Speaker 1 (29:34):
Looking around, like on who for? What? Say? There's a
report that you guys took money to come here. So
I'm like, okay, cool, how much we talking?

Speaker 3 (29:46):
Boom?

Speaker 1 (29:47):
He said one hundred and eighty thousand. Looked at my mama.
My mama looked at me. We bust out laugh.

Speaker 3 (29:58):
Why you see it like we laughing? Coach Chinze ain't laughing.
I was like, oh you for real?

Speaker 1 (30:06):
So I'm saying to myself, I'm looking at my mama.

Speaker 3 (30:10):
Mama, you got an under the eighty pop you gotta.

Speaker 1 (30:13):
Under Like where the hell is money at? Right? Because
shit it well I'm from you can't hide that type
of money I have seen.

Speaker 3 (30:20):
I ain't never seen a thousand dollars, let alone one
hundred and eighty or two hundred thousand, right, shall be
hard to hide, especially man in our house. Boy, we
gonna man shit. I done found so much shit from PlayStations,
the Sega Genesis.

Speaker 1 (30:37):
To all that that they tried to hide from us.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
I'm like, man, how who who got it?

Speaker 1 (30:44):
It was?

Speaker 3 (30:44):
It was a suspicion to us, like who got this
money that y'all proclaiming us to him God?

Speaker 1 (30:50):
And he was just reporting it was.

Speaker 3 (30:52):
He's just like, listen, I don't know who did it
or who got it, but the NC double A is
about to open an investigation and uncover as much as
they possibly can. And during that stint, from that week
on throughout even the National Championship, that burden was always

(31:14):
on and I no longer was an amateur athlete.

Speaker 1 (31:19):
I had to operate as if I was a CEO.

Speaker 3 (31:22):
I had to operate and be stoic and be strong,
and when somebody would ask cam you all right, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I'm good, knowing good and well, I was suffering in silence.
Nobody could could go through what I went through. Not
my family, not my teammates, not my coaches. Not only
am I being investigated throughout the day. I'm trying to

(31:45):
play the best form of football that I possibly can
during game time and I'm going through so much.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
I can't speak to them.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
I'm talking to my dad, I'm talking to my brothers,
I'm talking to you know, my family.

Speaker 1 (31:58):
But they don't get it.

Speaker 3 (31:59):
They there for support, but it's not like we understand
what you said. That's the only thing that they can say.
And I'm saying to myself, bro, it's hard. We're playing
after that. You got LSU, you got Arkansas, you got Georgia,
you got all these games, and I'm like, yo, on
top of that, this is the greatest season that the
Auburn University has ever had. You got Alabama?

Speaker 1 (32:24):
How are you doing this?

Speaker 3 (32:26):
I was having an outer body experience in my body
like I'm like, yo, I'm surprising myself with the measure
of focus that I had to go through and still
That's what brought my family closer. Because even though I know,
even though I knew, still to this day, nobody took

(32:46):
money from it. That was just a grenade thrown into
the crowd to just have a bitter person. He didn't
come to my school, so he had to have tooken
some money to go to that school because we had
our had a relationship. But I was thinking to myself, Hell,
you didn't play me while you was at Florida. These
are all things that I'm saying, like I seen your

(33:07):
true self, right, I didn't want to get burnt twice.
So on top of that, these things are happening. And
through it all, like I said, by the grace of God,
I was able to still perform at a high level.

Speaker 1 (33:21):
And my father jumped on that grenade. No one good
and well.

Speaker 3 (33:27):
He ain't take no money, no one good and well.
He said, look, how can we allow my son to
play Well, we're gonna need somebody to take there, to
take this rap. My father said, without blinking, I take it.
Paint me however you want to paint me right, I'll
do it for my son. He gonna be eligible to

(33:47):
play cool. I'll take it well. Cecil you can't, you
can't come to no more games. And still to this day,
it was told while during the Heisman ceremony, they said,
I think it's best for you not to show up
for that.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
I took that personal.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
And the person that meant the most, that had the
greatest impact on Cam Newton, the player, the man that
he became at at his highest moment to date, the
man that meant so much to you couldn't be there to.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Share it with you. I could not share the moment.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
I remember winning the Heisman ceremony stutter and I was nervous,
but I didn't want to be there.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
I wanted to be with my dad. I wanted to
be with my family.

Speaker 3 (34:30):
Because this was my opportunity to show my dad like
thank him, to thank him. But also my dad challenged
me every day. Boy that's not right. Boy, you got
to be a man. From I'm seven, eight, twelve, thirteen, fifteen,
six seventeen, still in college, So you got to be
a man that ain't no man, Take responsibility, take accountability.

(34:54):
This was this was me showing him, Papa being a man.
Look at me, look at what you created. Man, Man,
it's us. This ain't just me. This ain't Cam Newton.
This for our whole lineage. This is for the whole
Newton name. This is what you created. Let me share
that with you. Everybody was excited, but they stripped that

(35:17):
from me. But Archie Manny, that ain't no question. But
if it's lamar Ball, that's a problem. Deon Sanders, Oh,
he playing all that or that these are great forms
of King Richard, men who meant so much, and that

(35:41):
was trying to put their family in the best situation.

Speaker 1 (35:46):
Tiger Woods father, that was these people.

Speaker 3 (35:49):
My father has did nothing wrong and was painted as
a villain.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
Still to this day, he still ain't been back to
offer truth be told. Do you get an opportunity to
get back to.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
Auburn, Yeah, but I ain't never been back to the
Heisman for what. They didn't care about my family at
that point in time, because if they knew, we was
telling everybody like one hundred and two hundred thousand, you
can't hide that, not in my community, not in my culture.
You would have seen it in a car. You would
have seen it in the house. Yeah, you would have
seen it in something, a business, the church.

Speaker 1 (36:22):
Something. They couldn't find nothing.

Speaker 3 (36:23):
And this was an investigation that took place for more
than about three to five years. Nothing but when I'm suffering,
and all everybody really cared is are you all right?
Can you play? I was ineligible for a day, and boy,
who what we gonna do? I got eligible again, and

(36:46):
now it put everybody at ease, not knowing that, like, bro, I'm.

Speaker 1 (36:50):
Fucked up, y'all at these I'm not at ease.

Speaker 3 (36:53):
But I used those what is it twelve minutes? I
used that forty minutes for forty two minutes on Saturday
to inflict what was being afflicted to me, complete disregard
to how I felt, and whoever I was playing, they
was gonna feel me. So you're seeing a lot of

(37:14):
examples of me using my circumstance, not letting my circumstance
use me.

Speaker 1 (37:22):
Jimmy Clauson, Tim Tebow, Irvin Meyer.

Speaker 3 (37:25):
The n C double A, damn man, somebody got to
pay for this, and I'm doing this is a peaceful
protest sort to speak. I ain't going off the rail
and saying like, man, let me tell y'all. Bro'all, y'all,
y'all doing too much. N C double A you call
them a house. You know? People were reports of ESPN
all everybody seeing then like this was big news that

(37:49):
you don't care about my family. People were staking out
of my house asking like it's did you do it?
Going into stadiums where they disrespected me by playing on
of a preacher man. These are facts, all Scam Newton, You.

Speaker 1 (38:08):
Think what I'm saying, Yes, let's say that's the.

Speaker 3 (38:11):
Whole thing that people ain't thinking about what I went through.
And I'm telling you, like bro, that ain't. That's what
I displayed. There is no different than what an average
black man or black family goes through on a regularity.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
It may not be through sports.

Speaker 3 (38:27):
It may be through circumstance, mom working two and three
jobs to provide, single parent or the fathers is not around,
or he's trying to provide as best as he can.
These are all trauma that I was lucky to use
that trauma to put on my shoulder the South. I

(38:49):
gotta keep going, I gotta keep going. This my way out.
I ain't about to be no doctor, I ain't about
to be no lawyer. I'm about to be a football player.
And I don't care what my circumstance say is. I
gotta perform and put that compartmentalize that, put that away
for these forty two minutes while I show the world I'm.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
The best football player the game the Iron Bowl. You
guys go down twenty four to nothing. That team is loaded.

Speaker 3 (39:19):
That's that may be the best Alabama team ever.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
You guys are in tuscalooser, you fall behind twenty four nothing.

Speaker 1 (39:32):
That you say, Carolina put you up.

Speaker 2 (39:34):
But that was the game that was your you know,
say a Heisman moment, you had a Heisman game. The
entirety of the game from the point that you were
down twenty four to nothing could really be your highlights
and you don't need any others. Yeah, what's going through
your mind? What's the team's psyche at that point in time?
You're in Tuscaloosa.

Speaker 3 (39:53):
That's your chiefest ribber, that's through That might be the
greatest rivalry in college sports. I understand Duke North, Carolin,
Ohio State, Michigan, but they're not in state.

Speaker 2 (40:04):
And it's divided. You either love Alabama and hate Alburt.
You either love Albred or you hate Alabama. There is
no in between.

Speaker 3 (40:11):
It ain't no cousins.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
You know, it's bad blood and.

Speaker 3 (40:15):
I didn't know that, And I think coach Chiswick did
a great job leading up until that week.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
Because that always will.

Speaker 3 (40:23):
Be the game around Thanksgiving and school's out. That's just
the first introduction to what professional sports will be. All
we had to do is prepare for that game, you know,
training table, workout, watch film, whatever, and he would give
us speakers to talk about what that game was like.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
Now.

Speaker 3 (40:45):
Me being at the University of Florida, I was a
part of some rivalries Georgia, Florida, Florida, Florida State, Florida, Miami.
I witnessed all of them. They were rivalries, but the Iron.

Speaker 1 (40:56):
Bowl is a little different.

Speaker 3 (40:58):
It's a different energy, different And I remember going to
the game and they had canceled our Tiger walk that's
when you get off the bus and then you have
your fans. And I asked her, I said, why we
don't got tigo hall. Simple question or simple answer was.

Speaker 1 (41:15):
It's just not safe.

Speaker 3 (41:18):
Damn we and color ain't this amateur sports, right man.
We was approaching, you know the stadium, the bus rocking
like damn either, motherfucker's a bus rocking, And.

Speaker 1 (41:31):
I remember looking.

Speaker 3 (41:32):
Outside it was a couple who had to be seventy plus.

Speaker 1 (41:36):
They flicking us off. Damn, it's grandpa. They all about it.

Speaker 3 (41:43):
Me mo on them was flicking us off, and I said, oh,
it's that type of game.

Speaker 1 (41:48):
When we entered or when I entered the stadium, on the.

Speaker 3 (41:51):
Field, they throwing you know, beer bottles and beer on like, Oh,
it's that type of game.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
All right, I see what we got going. This is
this respective is overload.

Speaker 3 (42:01):
We go down twenty four s Okay, cool? We got
to score before halftime. Man, I'm saying to myself, bro, Cam,
if you're gonna do anything great, just gonna ceement your
legacy right here, and dare I just make it all
about me because we had unbelievable effort from Nick Fairley,

(42:22):
the defense, Terrell Zachary, Darvin Adams, Michael Dyer, Lee Zimba,
like these guys were a part of that puzzle to
get us to it. And now I got a lot
of the credit, but these are the unsung heroes too,
And I just remember making it so personal, like this

(42:44):
ain't where we stop at. We gotta keep going. And
as you know, being an athlete, that's what gives you
that stamp of approval that we want to hear. What
your take was what was it like in the locker room?
Did you have to grab somebody by the shoulder path
to say, mother fuck a less fucking gold like you
bullshit and we bullshit.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
I'm bullshit too, but shit, we.

Speaker 3 (43:06):
Got thirty more minutes to impact the rest of our lives.
What we're gonna do. I'm about to barbecue motherfuckers. You're
gonna get a plate that's rock and roll them. Type
of stories you can't get by just reporting the news
because it takes a different measure of experience. And even
though Travis Kelsey may be able to be talked to

(43:29):
in this type of way, you can't talk to Shannon
shout like that. Sometimes you don't even gotta talk to it.

Speaker 1 (43:34):
You just gotta look you sure, bro s let's go,
let's get it.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
Those type of connections or wi fi is something that
only having the experience in the game can share that
And I did not want that opportunity to be missed
because I was fighting so much more off the field
that on the field was just a playground. That was

(44:01):
my place of refuge. You can't talk to me, reporter
while I'm playing. Yeah, I'm at peace. Blah blah, la
la la la, la lah Lah. And every time I ran,
I ran with with with with a vengeance. I wanted
to hurt somebody because I was hurt, and I used
it as a way to give me my edge.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
Right when you look at that roster, you mentioned Percy Harvey,
Brandon Spikes, Joe Hayden, Dune, lapt your North, Jenkin, Mike,
and Maurice Pouncy.

Speaker 3 (44:30):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (44:30):
Person said he smoked smoked weed before every game? Did
you know? Did you know?

Speaker 3 (44:34):
Yo?

Speaker 1 (44:35):
Did you guys party that hard care?

Speaker 3 (44:37):
Pam?

Speaker 1 (44:38):
It was untouchable in games. Shit, I ain't gonna lie.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
I was so disappointed in the in the documentary because
they left out so much. Well it leave out shit, Percy,
Go talk to person, Go talk to Charlie Strong, shit,
Go talk to Joe Hayden. You see what I'm saying.
Ask them the real and they would have did that
shit for free. Fuck all the Netflix deals and all

(45:04):
that shit, Like we need to tell you want to
tell this the real story.

Speaker 1 (45:07):
Shit.

Speaker 3 (45:07):
That was a very toxic locker room where they we
still had success, but damn it was a combination of
a lot of talent that was boiling over and there
was times where it was just unmanageable. And then there
was also times where it was a thing of beauty,
where it was a competition every day, every practice, like

(45:31):
we competed, and even though Tim Tebow was a person
who I wanted to be better than, Tim Tebow made.

Speaker 1 (45:38):
Everybody better because he competed.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
That energy that he had, that screaming, that rid and
that ah, that's something that I could connect with, and
he connected with everybody else, even a stadium.

Speaker 2 (45:53):
There was a situation, you have a seven on seven.
You mentioned a seven on seven that you have here,
Deshaun Watson is and to come through your camp. Justin
Fields has come through your camp. And I remember telling
your dad the first time this was a couple of
years ago that it was documented and the kids I
felt were being disrespectful, not all kids, but some was
being very disrespectful. And I remember calling you Dad, I said,

(46:14):
see if I was Cam, I can for that. I said,
because the one thing is that I'm taking time out
of my busy schedule and I'm trying to give back,
and the one thing I will not allow is kids
to be disrespectful. And he just said he I remember
him saying, a matter of fact, down how Cam is
cam gonna keep it going and keep and because he
believes in this and he want to give back to community.
And then earlier this year, you had a situation where

(46:36):
you have a seven on seven and I thought it
was kids, but it was later reported that there were coaches.
They were adults that you ended up getting into it with.
And I don't understand how you stayed. So, I mean,
your hat them fly, the dreads weren't going nowhere. You
stayed immaculately dropping with Camp. I like, this can't be real.
I just got to be CG because ain't no way

(46:57):
a man getting a tussle. You got one of the
headlocked you, you strong arm in one, you throw him
in the bushes, and the other would come up like
with damn cat.

Speaker 3 (47:04):
Yeah, well so what what what transpired?

Speaker 1 (47:09):
What led up to that confrontation?

Speaker 3 (47:13):
They were coaches that was at one point a part
of See one End, and that familiarity was something that.

Speaker 1 (47:25):
You know, we knew each other.

Speaker 3 (47:26):
Okay, words were said, and I always say I got
my pH d.

Speaker 1 (47:32):
And shit talking.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
I could talk ship with the best of them. It
don't matter if it's a young boy, It don't matter
if it's a preacher. It don't matter if it's an
opposing opponent, It don't matter who it is. I can
keep it governed in how you want to talk. And
the truth of the matter was a lot of people

(47:54):
when they when they see you as equal, they will talk.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
To you as if you were equal. And I show
myself so much.

Speaker 3 (48:04):
I exert my uh my time and energy so much
to people that they get so comfortable. Now I'm right
right who I am, and in large part that's what
I want. And also, but don't forget like who like bro,
there's not a lot of people that have done what
I've done, and I don't use that as a banner,

(48:26):
like I'm Cam Newt and it was just like yo,
y'all talking, I'm talking and.

Speaker 1 (48:29):
Then boom, it's gonna be what it's gonna be. So
they see the the.

Speaker 3 (48:35):
Sauce, they see the smile, they see all these different things, and.

Speaker 1 (48:42):
You'll fuck around and find out they take that for weakness.
They take it for weakness. And even for the kids,
they see that they.

Speaker 3 (48:48):
See you always running around. Yo. See when the three
see when they bless the baby, all that they they
get distracted by. That's still Cam new in the of
the Year, the Heisman Trophy, one of the MVP, and
nobody's really they're not used to seeing somebody of my
magnitude exert themselves in that space because it's it's really

(49:11):
like a for an expression or an analog. It's like
a rock a park. It's wraw cut. You know, seven
o seven gives you that platform to talk shit.

Speaker 1 (49:26):
Do you think you need to temper it?

Speaker 2 (49:27):
Because you say you put yourself on that level and
when people see you as the level, they see you
as an equal, they will talk to you as such.
I'm from the South, your dad from the South. I
know he told you Cam how dynamic is never gonna change.
I'm dad your son, Sir, You're not gonna be on
my level. And he doesn't put you on his level,
you under do I put him on my level exactly.

(49:49):
So do you think moving forward you might need to
temper that where you put people on your level and
then you stay in your place and you allow them
to stay in their space.

Speaker 1 (50:00):
In this situation.

Speaker 3 (50:01):
No, because I tell you this, I'm not quiet about
seeing where I'm from.

Speaker 1 (50:07):
I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, yep.

Speaker 3 (50:09):
And I don't want to just appease to Buckhead and
not appease to Bankhead.

Speaker 1 (50:14):
And even if you don't.

Speaker 3 (50:15):
Know where those different areas in Atlanta is, you know
exactly what I'm saying. And when I was growing up,
Michael Vick was that person where if he would have
said camp or anybody, I'm throwing at camp and I
want somebody to be a part of my team, man, I.

Speaker 1 (50:34):
Would have did anything to be a part of it
because he was my hero.

Speaker 3 (50:38):
Still am my hero. Risk every single time I see
the Michael Vick's, the pac Man's that they're like, Bro,
you that motherfucker that I wanted to be, Vince Young.

Speaker 1 (50:46):
That guy.

Speaker 3 (50:48):
These are the guys that I wanted to be like.
So I will always keep that respect there. So now
me being in a position that I am now, the
Justin Fields, the Deshaun Watson's, Nicks, the Sam Howells, these
quarterbacks that have come and that's just the name, the
ones that you may know, not to mention the ones
that you don't know. And also other players Travis Hunter,

(51:12):
George Pickens, did Cam Sutton. Even though what he's going
through right now, these players came through and I was
trying to tell them then bro, use the game of
football because it can get you everything you want. You
gotta commit, you gotta be disciplined, don't get distracted. So
it's hard for me to remove myself from a platform

(51:32):
where I impact way more than people see. Then that
viral moment going where somebody's swinging on this person and
swinging on that person, and I'm saying to myself, I
was so grateful because it could have gotten and ugly
on both sides. If they would have pulled out a knife,
if they would have pulled out a gun, that's for them.
If my side would have been there, I was by myself.

(51:55):
I was triggered. And that was the thing now where
even when I have these conversations with my girls, she said,
Cam like, you gotta got kids.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
You got eight kids.

Speaker 3 (52:05):
What I'm gonna do if you go right, you get
knocked in a coma, What's like, what's your family gonna do?
So these are things that I think about myself, and
I'm saying to myself, I mean too much to.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
Too many people.

Speaker 3 (52:19):
Yes, for me to get detracted from what the vision
and the focus is, because a lot of people live
vicariously through me, and whether they give me the credit
I deserve or not. That still can't distract me from
my mission, and that's always to impact and empowered the
next generation.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
Let's talk about your upbringing. Your dad, he's a couple
of years older than me, went to Savannah State. Your
mom is from Savannah. Obviously Savannah State and then Savannah.
How was Cam's upbringing. Your dad's a minister, so I'm
assuming that the upbringing was fairly strict.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Yo, extremely strict.

Speaker 3 (52:53):
And with me smoking this cigar right now, it's.

Speaker 1 (52:55):
Still hey, hey boy, hey, turn it down.

Speaker 3 (52:58):
Turn it down.

Speaker 1 (52:59):
Your cutn't too much. I ain't raised it like that.

Speaker 3 (53:02):
Boy. You know, those are things that I see not loud,
but that's him, that man. But people have to understand,
even when I'm expressing myself to this day, they got
to understand where I come from. My father didn't have
the meanings that I have, but he always was an alpha.
His presence was gonna be felt. Whether he was wearing
some raggedy clothes or wearing a liber rocket suit, didn't matter.

(53:26):
My father had that aura about him. This is the
man that I wanted to impress, So he raised me
to be this way. Growing up in the church, it
was extremely strict. I can't remember a time where you know,
I didn't have a curfew. That don't mean I didn't
sneak out, you know what I'm saying, But I would
always say it like this. I knew and know what's

(53:50):
right and what's wrong. I didn't always do right with them.
You see what I'm saying. I grew up in the
three parent household, my mom, my father as well as
my grandma mother. And yes, sir, no, sir, no, ma'am, yes, ma'am.

Speaker 1 (54:05):
Was you're missing something? Yes, sir, ain't. I ain't know what.
Huh what? Yeah?

Speaker 3 (54:13):
Uh what?

Speaker 1 (54:14):
No, it's yes, it's yes, sir, it's no.

Speaker 3 (54:18):
And no, ma'am, look at look me in my eye
when I'm talking to you, as a measure of respect,
but also understanding that you you are digesting the processing.

Speaker 1 (54:28):
Make sure you understand, you listening and understanding with those things.

Speaker 3 (54:31):
It's like I always tell the parents that come through
our program, just like the players, what this society needs.

Speaker 1 (54:40):
Is for parents to be parents.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
We don't need no more friends home reading at homegirls.
And you know he just see alright, he gonna be good. No,
give that dude, Give little tite and John John a curfew,
they feeling math signs and all that. And I don't
give it. Damn how he can catch the ball. He
ain't gonna go to college. They might be gn X,

(55:04):
but they can't say the ABC. Come on now. They
can recite a rap song, but they can't recite Yeah,
all these different things. Like I'm telling you, so that
comes from the way that they're being raised. And when
we started putting the owners back on the parents, that's
when society would change.

Speaker 1 (55:23):
Cam kids. You mentioned you got eight kids? Eight you done?
I want more? What six flags? Baby bad bad combos?
Damn hey man. Look, but this is what they This
is what they say. What they say. Who say that,
I don't know who they is because I'm fire putting
something on it.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
But people saying we're having all these kids. I take
care of all my kids. See that's the thing. Yeah,
I always wanted a big family.

Speaker 1 (55:52):
I come from that.

Speaker 3 (55:54):
You know what I'm saying. My father had three boys,
no girls. And my cousin here he serves as my
as my assistant. Now that's my brother. Like we head
the toe, head the toe, make the palette. Who's going
down there to get the palette? And nah, it's smelled
like my balls.

Speaker 1 (56:13):
But you stink? Who's smelling like that? Who must it?

Speaker 4 (56:17):
Like?

Speaker 3 (56:17):
Those conversations happened during the summer we worked together. My
father had a construction company, a landscaping business.

Speaker 1 (56:22):
Like, That's how we got swon.

Speaker 3 (56:24):
We didn't start living where we didn't have no free
weights running around. How we had this sod?

Speaker 1 (56:28):
Yeah, these palettes. Yep, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (56:31):
You're gonna go get this tree, this bush, and you're
gonna take it fifty yards and you better not mess
up my.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
Whole plant structure. That's how I got strong.

Speaker 3 (56:41):
So when I grew up, that's all I knew was family, right,
So I walked that. And I owe a due diligence
to each woman who get giving me that, and I
respect them and saying do I have jurisdiction of who
they talk to? No? I owe a service to loving

(57:03):
them unconditionally no matter what they do.

Speaker 1 (57:05):
And we have to co parent together. How do you
Because look, cam these women wanted to be with you.
Let's be one. Let's be all the way one thousand.
I'm the women wanted to be with you.

Speaker 2 (57:18):
You're not with You're not with this one. You have
one or two kids with this one? Have one kid
over here? Now you're with the I think you're with
this the one you had the last kid with the previous, Like, well,
hold on, what's special? Why she get to be with you?
Now you done left me with five over here or
two over here? Why she why she's special? Well, I'm

(57:38):
gonna mess it up for you. No, you can't.

Speaker 3 (57:43):
It's it's it's a respect right, and we can't allow
our personal vendettas to get in in the between raising
these children.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
You see what I'm saying. I do and did I
want it to be this way?

Speaker 3 (57:58):
When I was seven twelve years old, I wanted to
have a family who wanted to be married, with a
house and the picket fence and all that.

Speaker 1 (58:06):
That just wasn't what my life paying out to be.

Speaker 3 (58:11):
I proudly say I have eight children, six biologically through me,
and I don't believe in step children.

Speaker 1 (58:20):
What my biological kids get everybody get. I don't have
no favorites.

Speaker 3 (58:26):
I'm raising kings and queens, and I have uncomfortable conversations
with my children. Is your fucking hey? Is your smoking weed?
Is your drinking? No?

Speaker 1 (58:39):
I don't patticate with that I'm very hands on.

Speaker 3 (58:42):
I do go to football practice, I do go to
basketball practice, track practice, tennis practice because I want them
to see what a positive male figure is in their life.

Speaker 1 (58:51):
I'm not just out here just slaying and leaving, No.

Speaker 2 (58:56):
But it's difficult cam when you've been in a situation
for a life long period of time. If I'm not mistaken,
I think the first situation, you've in that situation for
probably about a decade and to leave and you know,
I'm sure it was a very uncomfortable conversation that you
had to have.

Speaker 3 (59:15):
Yeah, but things happen though, okay, And as you know,
when you know we all in the public EUY try
to keep personal, yes, personal, but I want to be
an example for people that I've.

Speaker 1 (59:29):
Never proclaimed to be perfect.

Speaker 3 (59:31):
Learn from me. We can talk about everything. And I
think when you look at my career Juco, high school, professional,
I've been that guy for a long period of time.
I had a lot of temptations. I had a lot
of mess ups along that way too. So that's why
I'm relatable to these kids, my kids or anybody else's.

(59:54):
I know what you're going through, bro, but that don't
mean you can't fail this class, because if you fail
the class, you're not going to past Clearehouse.

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
Talk to me, I done did.

Speaker 3 (01:00:04):
A lot just because of who you see today, don't
mean I ain't been.

Speaker 1 (01:00:08):
Through a lot.

Speaker 3 (01:00:09):
And they always try to put that on how old
you are, Like, no, I don't been through a lot
of stuff, bro. Some things that I'm proud to say
and some things that I'm not proud to say.

Speaker 2 (01:00:19):
The meaning do you remember have you seen the meme
of you? And I think it was Josh Norman getting
into it. They got a meme of you, Bro, They
mean everything. Now you know you're about to get even
more mean now that you're on Now you're on this
side of the camera, right, bring.

Speaker 3 (01:00:32):
It on, Bring on the prelacy, bring on the palace.
Bring Yeah, I want that. But you know it was crazy.
I was having this conversation and the way media is now,
by the time my son gets to high school or

(01:00:53):
my daughter gets to high school, they won't even remember
Cam Newton as a football player. Mm hmm, because it's
so direct to consumer YouTube.

Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
I was willing to be so far removed, so far removed,
and if you get really good at this camp, people
will forget that you actually played the game because I
get a lot of times people like, well, how do
you know so much about sports?

Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
I was like, I study a lot. I mean I
study a lot. They're like, can you know you know football?
You know amis, you know days, you know players, you
know all this stuff. I said, yes, ma'am, I do
a lot of study, and I have to prepare. It's
in you though. But that thing for me is like journalism,
not just media. Journalism has changed, yes, over the years,

(01:01:39):
and how people digest that right, and we're in the
golden era of that. We don't have to just wait
on ESPN to report sports. We can go to Direct
Listen Night capp and you know all these different yes
podcasts to get the news right, you know. And that's

(01:02:00):
you don't need a middleman.

Speaker 2 (01:02:01):
No, Because there's something Cam wants to say, Cam has platforms.
He can just say it right and with no misinterpretation.

Speaker 3 (01:02:09):
No, you ain't gotta wait for me to do a
magazine special or or or a newspaper right now, that's
gonna get misconstrued. I'm gonna tell you how I really feel.

Speaker 2 (01:02:23):
When you were in Carolina, your neighbor was Michael Jordan. Yes, sir,
Mike loves to gamble. Uh bout ray and uh you
don't play b ray.

Speaker 1 (01:02:35):
No. That ship right there, that's that's a relationship killer.

Speaker 3 (01:02:39):
He got every type of person you know, you know
your constentuate on night Cap, he got Mother Buckers bringing
pistols to the arena.

Speaker 1 (01:02:47):
All off boot Ray. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:02:49):
I do some gambling and I think I learned this,
uh this quote around him Michael Jordan, that is it
was having just a lebanter. Somebody asked him, he said, hey,
how much you want to bet on this? Simply said
by Mike.

Speaker 1 (01:03:03):
Whatever makes you nervous?

Speaker 3 (01:03:06):
That's him. I said, dude, that's a flex right now. Yeah,
but it is what it is. But you asked yourself
why does gambling so prominent with athletes? Because that rush
is either gambling or you playing a sport. It coincides

(01:03:27):
because the nervousness, the anxiousness that you kind of get
the thrill.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
It's like, is he gonna make the shot? What's coming next?

Speaker 3 (01:03:35):
Coming? Next?

Speaker 2 (01:03:36):
What card? Is he gonna get the car? If I
go get the car. There's a lot riding on this.

Speaker 3 (01:03:40):
At a lot of probability, you know what I'm saying.
So it is what it is so.

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:03:46):
I learned a lot from from from m J. Very
positive and and who I am today always was accessible
to knowledge, you know what I'm saying, and just to
who what he reaped resents for the culture and worthy
represents for us today is something that I've always marveled.

Speaker 2 (01:04:04):
If Cam Newton never plays another down in the NFL,
are you satisfied with your career?

Speaker 3 (01:04:09):
Yes, sir, because I gave everything, everything to this game
of football, and in the famous words of Frank Sinatra,
you did it. I did it my way, from the
fashion to the way I presented myself to everything else.

Speaker 1 (01:04:26):
I'm satisfied.

Speaker 2 (01:04:29):
When you decide, when you officially decide to call it
a career in five years, just Cam Newton, Cam Newton
get that call, Does he get that knocked on the
door and say welcome to football Heaven? Which is Cam?
No higher the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Speaker 3 (01:04:46):
Honestly though, I wouldn't care, and not to disrespect the
Hall of Fame and the people who are in it.
My impact was felt, and that's all I wanted from
a kid from College Park, Georgia by way of Atlanta,
to have the impact that I had where globally I

(01:05:08):
go anywhere and people say, man, he looked.

Speaker 1 (01:05:10):
Like, man, what's the football.

Speaker 3 (01:05:14):
That we played in a masked sport? To be recognized
without your helmet on, that tells you something that you
did something right.

Speaker 1 (01:05:26):
And let this be said too.

Speaker 3 (01:05:29):
I never had an incident with domestic violence. I never
had a a a run in with the law. I
never had anything conduct detrimental where people would assumed.

Speaker 1 (01:05:43):
That, oh, man, he's a head case.

Speaker 3 (01:05:45):
Right, that's your personal opinion. Go back and talk to
Ron Rivera. Go back and talk to Matt rue. Go
back and talk to Bill Belichick. Talk to Greg Olson,
talk to Thomas Davis. Talk to these people who shared
the locker room with me, rest in peace, talk to
Jerry Richardson. These people will tell you who Cam Newton

(01:06:07):
really is. A lot of people who don't like Cam Newton.
It's only subjective to what you may think. And I'm
fine with being able to say I'm not for you,
and I think with me being so comfortable in my skin,
that's what rubs people the wrong way.

Speaker 1 (01:06:24):
So for me, I.

Speaker 3 (01:06:27):
Can get the validation from people around when they appreciate
what I've done, and that's my nod to them, saying
well done. And that's what I can go to sleep
at every single night. Whether my daughters or my sons
remember me playing football or not, I have the ability

(01:06:48):
to raise them to be honorable kings and queens the
same way that my father and my mother did for
me and my grandmother.

Speaker 2 (01:06:55):
Last thing, the car accident when you was in Carolina.
Remember that? Do you remember that morning?

Speaker 1 (01:07:03):
Yeah? I do. It was on off day. It was
it was we had a victory Monday, and.

Speaker 3 (01:07:16):
At the truck that I was driving was elevated.

Speaker 1 (01:07:19):
Like hot, too hot, but you know, young and like
I wanted to stay.

Speaker 3 (01:07:27):
That was me being around the Texas, being around the
Alabama like them country boys had them elevated trucks and
I wanted to get one. And the intersection that it
was at, I remember the car coming out, then it stopped.
Then I stopped or slowed down. Then I sped up

(01:07:50):
and he sped up too. I remember. I thought I
passed him, and I was trying to blow the horn,
like what And as I'm blowing the horn, he clipped
my back left will and.

Speaker 1 (01:08:03):
It flipped over.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
And as I'm flipping I'm saying to myself, oh my God,
not like this not like this. And I was on
the phone with my mom. Not like this, No, no,
not like this, not like this. And when I got out,
I didn't realize how close off the edge of the

(01:08:27):
bridge it was. Right, So when they say I had
a praying grandmother, a praying mother, man, that could have
been that. You don't know the time, the hour of
the day. So don't let smoking a cigar derail you

(01:08:48):
from understanding that I'm a man of God, God fearing
I know where my favorite come from. I'm humbled by
the fact that God has given me the opportunity to
say that I owe my life to him. I don't
fear nothing outside of God. And that day was a

(01:09:13):
perfect example of I was on top of the world.

Speaker 1 (01:09:16):
My father would always say, son, be careful.

Speaker 3 (01:09:19):
One day you could be on top of the world,
and the next day the world can be on top
of you. Do right by people, And no matter what
you say about cam Newton, you can never find a
person that I did wrong. And that's what resonates to
me the most, because there's times in my life similar
to that car accident. Well, I ain't supposed to be here,

(01:09:42):
they thought, after Florida, They'll never hear from me again.
It was so many transfers that left right and.

Speaker 1 (01:09:47):
You never heard from them. Hear from them.

Speaker 3 (01:09:50):
But when I came back that my story and my
and everything that I went through, Why me? I would
always ask my I saf man, how am I is
getting caught?

Speaker 1 (01:10:00):
Man?

Speaker 3 (01:10:01):
Oh son, you ain't regular. He's a conversation. This is
a perfect father son story.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Man.

Speaker 3 (01:10:11):
I was afraid of my dad. The only thing that
brought us closer was me in Juco. While I was
in for a man, I didn't call my Damnit.

Speaker 1 (01:10:21):
I'm gonna cut your phone off. You better answer. That
was the first time I was out. I was a bird.

Speaker 3 (01:10:27):
I mean, I was gone.

Speaker 1 (01:10:29):
Man, you can bring girls in the doors. It ain't
nobody got curfew, oh man. But that wasn't the calling
that I had. It was.

Speaker 3 (01:10:37):
That's why I'm able to resonate with my kids and say, son,
it's all right, tell me like what's going on. It
may be tough, loving, but all medicine ain't sweet either.
So as I'm living these these situations, and I'm saying
to myself and let me be the example of hope.
So I can't stop going out to seven on seven.

(01:10:58):
I can't stop speak in my mind because every time
I want to, there's a person that I'm giving hope
to that I may not ever meet, but they are
able to say, Man, Cam, I resonate with Cam. He'
my kind and that's not a black thing, that's not
a white thing, that's an all mankind thing. I like him.

Speaker 1 (01:11:20):
Are you surprised Coach Belichick doesn't have a job. No,
it's because he don't want a job, Like Bruh.

Speaker 2 (01:11:30):
What makes him special? You had an opportunity to spend
a one year with him and it was only a year. Well,
what makes coach Belichick special?

Speaker 1 (01:11:37):
I remember when Robert Kraft called me.

Speaker 3 (01:11:41):
And it was something that was just it penetrated my
my my core.

Speaker 1 (01:11:47):
It was like yo, like damn. He was like Cam.

Speaker 3 (01:11:52):
In this organization, you ain't gonna find an organization that's
pulling in the same direction like the New England Patriots.

Speaker 1 (01:12:01):
Everything is aligned to winning.

Speaker 3 (01:12:04):
When I went to spend my time at in New England,
I was blown away by the amount.

Speaker 1 (01:12:11):
Of details that they focused on.

Speaker 3 (01:12:15):
He taught the game of football, not just to the offense,
not just to the defense, special teams included. He taught
the game of football to everybody. Oftentimes, that pencil ain't
just a fashion statement. He got the pencil, iPad, notepad,
taking notes while he's working out, taking notes, watching film,

(01:12:38):
certain things, and he teaches the game. Coaches oftentimes forget
that being a great coach is also being a great teacher.

Speaker 1 (01:12:47):
You have to understand talking to Cam.

Speaker 3 (01:12:50):
You gotta change the tone or dialect when you're talking
to a Shannon Sharp, when you're talking to a Cho Sinko,
Odell Beckham, a Patrick Mahomes of Tom Brady, the great ones. No,
how to weave in and weave out and get the
message across.

Speaker 1 (01:13:06):
That's what Bill Belichick has done improven. He's so.

Speaker 3 (01:13:13):
Intentional that it ain't like he riding off in the sunset,
because that's what he want to do. If Bill Belichick
wanted a job, he got that name, Manny Sanders Belichick.
That man, if he wanted to be higher somewhere, he
would have been there. Me knowing what I know about him,

(01:13:33):
he probably don't want it.

Speaker 1 (01:13:35):
What does he have to prove? And when you at
peace like that, you can gracefully Bob.

Speaker 2 (01:13:42):
I think he wants that shoe little record all the time,
winning his coach in NFL history.

Speaker 3 (01:13:47):
He's so close, but some records, out of respect should
never be broken.

Speaker 1 (01:13:56):
Think about Barry Sanders.

Speaker 3 (01:13:59):
When he was so close to Malti Payton said, Nah,
Emmitt Smith the same way, what's the heat?

Speaker 1 (01:14:04):
See?

Speaker 2 (01:14:05):
I think Barry was like what you said, Kickley, if
he thought Detroit could give him an opportunity to win.
They had started trading pieces, getting rid of pieces around
him that he could the Glovers and the low Browns
and all them guys that started to leave. He's like, man, y'all,
ain't got no room for me.

Speaker 3 (01:14:19):
But sometimes people you got to ask yourself too, what's
your carrot? There is a comical analogy where the mule
is chasing the carrot in high school. Your carrit is
I want to go D one. I want to go
to college.

Speaker 1 (01:14:37):
That's your carre. You bite that boom when you get
to college. That carried is NFL. I got to go
to the league.

Speaker 3 (01:14:45):
When you bite that is now, Oh, I want to
go and be a household name a Pro Bowl.

Speaker 1 (01:14:50):
I want to be an All Pro.

Speaker 3 (01:14:51):
That's your care when you got all these different things,
a Super Bowl?

Speaker 1 (01:14:55):
Like, what else is your carrot? And you dictate that
not somebody us.

Speaker 3 (01:15:01):
And I think even for me, I don't have nothing
to prove I'm at peace.

Speaker 1 (01:15:06):
And that's if you're at peace with that.

Speaker 2 (01:15:08):
No, you got another cart. You're on this camera side now.
Oh for sure you want to be great a at
just like you were the football. Oh man, listen, it
drives you. If you're probably hear the thing. This is
what And I tell people I want to be better
at this because this isn't my natural football with God
gave me the ability to be able to run and
to jump and to catch a football, so I didn't

(01:15:29):
really have to work that much. I mean, I trained
and it got good at it, but this is not
something that that I was.

Speaker 1 (01:15:37):
Naturally good at. But I'm working.

Speaker 3 (01:15:39):
It's the challenge, right And I think for me to
be independently owned, nobody's telling me what I should produce
and for it to consistently catch the eye of people
to make it go viral, that's my card. And it's

(01:16:00):
doing it in an intent to impact. It's not doing
it in an intent to shame. So when I do
say game changer and the game manager, it was the
topic of the NFL the whole year because think about this,
whether the forty nine ers won or the forty nine
ers didn't win. Cam Newton's topic or take was still

(01:16:23):
gonna be right. Who's doing that? Shannon Stephen A skip.

Speaker 1 (01:16:33):
They got so.

Speaker 3 (01:16:34):
Many platforms, Disney.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
Fox, not me. I'm just taking my taking.

Speaker 3 (01:16:42):
It's just getting picked up because you can't ignore what
I'm saying, because it's the truth to a degree where
it still becomes opinionated and.

Speaker 1 (01:16:53):
Subjective to the consumer. Kam Newton, Lady and gentlemen, Ah appreciated.

Speaker 4 (01:17:01):
Broke all my life, grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle,
pay the price, wanta slice?

Speaker 1 (01:17:09):
Got to brow the dice, the squad all my life.

Speaker 3 (01:17:11):
I've been grinding all my life. Look all my.

Speaker 4 (01:17:14):
Life and grinding all my life, sacrifice, hustle, pay the price,
Want a slice? Got to brow the dice, the squad
all my life.

Speaker 3 (01:17:22):
I've been grinding all my life. M h