Cam sorry for youth football tournament fight
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said he’s disappointed in himself for losing control of his emotions over the weekend at a 7-on-7 youth football tournament in Atlanta, resulting in a brief fight involving several men from competing teams.
A 22-second video surfaced on Sunday showing the 34-year-old Newton involved in an altercation with at least three other men outside of a school at the tournament. Newton did not throw any punches, and appeared to try to fend off some attackers.
The incident was quickly broken up by a policeman and security.
“I’m disappointed in myself for letting it escalate to what it did and that’s what I’m apologetic to,” Newton said Friday on his 4th and 1 podcast. “The truth of the matter is this: Me, being in my position, I should’ve never put myself in that position. That’s just the truth. That could’ve got ugly, for real.”
The 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player and longtime Carolina Panthers signal caller also apologized to the kids who look up to him.
“I feel like I let them down,” Newton said. “Because I can’t sit up here and say, ‘Hey bro, you have to be bigger than that,’ and then all of a sudden I do that. That just shows that you have to always stay in control of your emotions.”
Newton, who is from Atlanta, heads up the C1N football organization, which was founded in 2021 and focuses on developing young athletes’ skills in football by providing opportunities to compete at the highest level through 7-on-7 tournaments and other events.
Newton said over the weekend trash talk during a game between him and former members of his C1N organization carried over off the football field leading to the altercation.
Newton said he’s glad the incident didn’t take a turn for the worse.
“There’s no excuse really,” Newton said. “It could have been a melee. More violence could have stemmed from that. It’s just not called for.”
Newton said he also regrets the incident because be believes it perpetuates a stereotype that he doesn’t like.
“It’s echoing something that has been permeating for years — Black people,” Newton said. “Why do I got to be at a Black event, you know what I’m saying? And I could easily play the victim, and I’m not going to do that. I’m going to hold myself to that same standard.”
HILL SUED BY INFLUENCER
A social media influencer is suing Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill over an alleged incident that happened at the NFL star’s South Florida home last summer.
In a lawsuit that Sophie Hall’s attorneys filed in Broward County circuit court on Feb. 23, the influencer claims that Hill “forcefully and purposefully” shoved her while the two were participating in a football drill at his Southwest Ranches mansion.
Hill was “humiliated” after Hall knocked him backward during a “friendly football lesson,” according to the lawsuit, which led to him charging at her “violently and with great force.”
“The crushing force was so great that she sustained a right leg fracture, necessitating surgery with metal hardware implantation,” the lawsuit says.
Hall is seeking up to $75,000 in damages. It is unclear whether she reported the incident to authorities. Her attorneys are suing Hill for battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
“We were made aware of it,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said at the NFL combine on Wednesday. “We were in communication with NFL security, so I really can’t comment on anything of that until we get all our information and find out what happened. For us, Tyreek has been a good addition for us, but in terms of all the off-field stuff, we’ll have to get all the information before we can really comment on it.”
The Dolphins acquired Hill in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2022.
Hall, whom the suit describes as a model, actress and influencer with over 2 million followers across multiple social media platforms, met Hill in May 2023 after she bought a ticket for her 10-year-old son to attend Hill’s summer football camp in Boca Raton, Florida.
The Dolphins receiver messaged Hall on Instagram a day after she registered, wanting to “meet up and get to know her,” the court documents say.
NCAA HALTS INVESTIGATIONS
Following another courtroom loss, the NCAA has halted investigations into booster-backed collectives or other third parties making name, image and likeness compensation deals with Division I athletes.
In a letter to member schools Friday, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff “to pause and not begin investigations involving third-party participation in NIL-related activities.”
The move comes a week after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia. The antitrust suit challenges NCAA rules against recruiting inducements, saying they inhibit athletes’ ability to cash in on their celebrity and fame.
“There will be no penalty for conduct that occurs consistent with the injunction while the injunction is in place,” Baker wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. “I agree with this decision, while the progress toward long-term solutions is underway and while we await discussions with the attorneys general. In circumstances that are less than ideal, this at least gives the membership notice of the board’s direction related to enforcement.”
The judge’s decision had prompted speculation about whether the NCAA would make a long-shot appeal as it fights to maintain its decades-long amateurism model for athletes in the face of rapid change. Baker noted that three specific policies involving NIL compensation remain in place and will be enforced, including prohibitions on schools directly playing athletes and any payment or compensation being tied specifically to athletic performance.