Newton apologizes for getting in fight at youth game

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.

A22-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.

The former Heisman Trophy winner often attends the nationwide tournaments to support his players in various age divisions, and even hosts some events under the C1N brand.