Cam Newton finally apologized for his sexist comments toward a female football reporter late Thursday night, issuing a video apology on Twitter a day after he questioned a Charlotte Observer reporter’s question about wide receiver routes during a meeting with the media.
Pressure mounted on Thursday as sponsors condemned his words and even abandoned him, while many in the media criticized his comments as sexist and offensive.
Newton posted a video to Twitter late Thursday night that addressed his comments on Wednesday and said he “sincerely apologized” to anyone he offended.
“After careful thought I understand that my word choice was extremely degrading and disrespectful to women,” Newton said. “To be honest, that was not my intentions.”
— Cameron 1 Newton (@CameronNewton) October 6, 2017
Newton said he takes “ownership” of his comments and said questioning a woman’s ability to be a football reporter was “extremely unacceptable.”
If you are a person who took offense to what I said I sincerely apologize to you. I’m a man who tries to be a positive role model in my community and tries to use my platform to inspire others. And I take ownership to everything that comes with that. And what I did was extremely unacceptable.
Newton said he realized “the joke is really on me” and mentioned the sponsors and fans he’s lost in making his remark.
“I’m a father to two beautiful daughters and at that age I try to instill in them that they can be anything the they want to be,” Newton said. “And to the young people who see this, I hope that you learn from this as well. Don’t be like me. Be better than me. And to the reporters. To the journalists. To the moms. To the daughters. To the women all around the world. I sincerely apologize and hope that you can find the kindness in your heart to forgive me.”
Newton did sound sincere, and it’s good that he finally addressed it on his own terms. But for many the damage has already been done.
