Cam Newton was a fantastic quarterback during his prime, however, his fall off has been hard to watch. After an unsuccessful stint in New England, Newton came back to the Panthers with the desire to show people he still has it. Instead, he has shown people that he’s washed. Yesterday, the Panthers got pounced by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 32-6. Newton was only able to muster 61 passing yards in the game, and it ultimately got him benched in the second half.
After the game, Newton spoke to reporters about his performance and how he feels like he is letting people down. In fact, Newton spoke in the past tense the whole time, and it really felt as if he was trying to hint that he is most likely done with the game of football.
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“Football has been good to me, I was able to walk away unscathed,” Newton said. “I don’t want to sound like I’m retiring, but I’ve had some great memories. As you think about, as you move forward, it takes more than one guy, it takes more than one talent, it take more than a couple guys. […] I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m so let down because the city of Charlotte has been good to me…You feel empty, like damn, are you good enough?”
Remaining at a high level throughout the entirety of your career can be tough, especially if you’re a QB who takes a lot of punishment because they run the ball. That has certainly been the case for Newton, who is now coming to grips with his football mortality.