Imagine it’s 2016 and the Panthers just beat the Arizona Cardinals to advance to Super Bowl 50. Charlotte, NC is buzzing with excitement as praise for Cam Newton rings through the streets. Those fall days back in 2015 watching legends like Luke Kuechly, Greg Olsen, and of course Cam Newton, were unforgettable. Newton is a Charlotte legend; his leadership in 2015 is talked about to this day. This is why it is strange that the Panthers and the NFL don’t seem to be interested in honoring Newton’s legacy.
On Newton’s podcast “4th and 1,” he did not hold back what he was thinking. Newton first admitted he was feeling left out in July of 2024 when Christian McCaffrey tied the knot with his wife on June 29th; the wedding was attended by many other Panthers legends except for Newton. On the podcast, Newton playfully stated “I couldn’t get an invite?” Newton didn’t express genuine sadness at not being invited; however, fans speculated that he was feeling more left out than he claimed. Mccaffery and Newton shared a lighthearted conversation in Instagram comments, squashing the alleged beef. Talk of Newton being excluded quieted for the following months until November when the Carolina Panthers traveled to Germany for a game against the New York Giants. Former Panthers icons like Kuechly, Julius Peppers, Steve Smith, and Thomas Davis were all invited to join the team in Germany to support and participate in the festivities. In an episode of “4th and 1”, a clip is shown of the iconic former players walking around Germany and Newton reacting with a sour display on his face. Newton is then asked by his co-host “If you were invited would you have gone?” Newton responds with “I guess we will never know,” shaking his head sadly. Being excluded from the trip obviously hurt Netwon’s feelings and he did not shy away from showing it on the podcast. He then goes on to explain an incident when Newton brought his son to the Panthers facility for a 7-on-7 tournament. He explains that when they were walking around seeing all of the pictures of former Panthers legends, his son asked him “Daddy where’s your picture?” While all of this may seem harsh, believe it or not, the Panthers and the NFL have reasons for this.
Newton is technically still a free agent since he has not officially signed retirement papers despite his football career most likely being over. This presents a problem for the Panthers. If they were to plaster Newton’s face all over the stadium and advertise him openly, they could be subject to fines and penalties for advertising a free agent within their stadium. While this does explain the lack of pictures, some believe that the Panthers didn’t like Newton’s big personality and don’t honor him because of this. That is all speculation, but it does make you wonder if the Cam Newton erasure is purposeful or if it really is because he hasn’t officially retired. We won’t know for sure until we see the Panthers’ next move once Newton retires. He explained that while he is hurt by the exclusion, he does not have any ill feelings towards the Panthers. In the same “4th and 1” episode, Newton claims “I don’t have no quarrel with nobody in the Panthers organization.”
Whether there are scandals regarding Newton’s lack of recognition or if it is purely because of NFL rules, Newton will go down in history as one of the best Panthers players of all time, and some recognition from the Panthers is past due for the iconic quarterback.