Shannon Sharpe is tired of the disrespect Cam Newton receives, following footage emerging of the former NFL MVP in a physical altercation at a recent 7-on-7 camp in Atlanta.
In the most recent episode of his Nightcap show on YouTube, Sharpe and former star Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson discussed the viral clip, which appeared to show multiple people attempting to fight the former Carolina Panthers star. Newton, who measured at roughly 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds during his NFL career and once inspired the ESPN headline “Cam Newton: Bigger than many defenders forced to tackle him,” appeared to fend off the attackers without much trouble, and did not appear to throw any punches.
Still, Sharpe and Johnson agreed that Newton deserves much better when he shows up to youth events.
“Cam is a better man than me,” Sharpe said. “Because the first time the kids disrespected me, I ain’t coming back. I’m folding up shop.”
Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images
Newsweek reached out to Newton’s representation by email on Monday morning requesting comment on both the altercation and on Sharpe’s thoughts.
Many commenters on social media mocked the attackers, who tried to take on the much larger Newton.
“Cam Newton took one dude & tossed him off stage, then proceeded to put one dude in a bear hug while grabbing another by the dreads & slung him like a kid all while his hat never came off his head,” user CoachCyp_NOLA wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Stop thinking y’all can put hands on pro athletes!!!”
Robert Griffin III, meanwhile, noted that Newton was used to being a “one-man army” after his career at Auburn.
“You are delulu if you thought some guys jumping him was gonna phase him,” Griffin wrote. “Hat didn’t even move.”
Still, to Sharpe and Johnson, the brawl pointed to a larger issue that needed to be addressed.
“He continues to hold these camps,” Johnson said. “Those kids and players and parents, and coaches as well, y’all have got to take advantage of that man. You’ve got to take advantage of that. You’ve got to take advantage of those situations, because you never know who is watching.”
Sharpe said that adults need to set better examples for kids, reiterating that he would not continue to show up for community events if these fights kept happening.
“Because I’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart, Ocho,” Sharpe said. “I don’t know when it happened where these young kids thought it was okay […] to be disrespectful. That’s what it is. There’s no other way around it. I don’t care what Cam’s hair looks like, how he dresses, the man is taking time out of his day to give back. Show the man some courtesy. Show the man respect.”
Newton’s Atlanta-based organization C1N won the 15U championship, according to a post on X.
Sharpe called the attitude toward Newton “embarrassing.”
“It’s really embarrassing that somebody takes time out of their day, out of their schedule, out of their life, and try to give back, and you’re disrespectful, ungrateful,” Sharpe said. “Man, I told you Ocho, Cam’s way better than me. I don’t have patience for my own kids to be disrespectful. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let somebody else’s kids disrespect me.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.