Free-agent quarterback Cam Newton believes his hairstyle is the reason why he hasn’t landed an NFL job.
During Tuesday’s episode of Undefined with Josina Anderson, Newton was asked whether he believed his hairstyle was a factor preventing him from securing an NFL position. He responded by defending his dreadlocks, stating that they were a unique feature that he was proud of.
“It’s been hindered,” he stated. “And I’m not changin’. This is one thing I do understand about my stance, especially with the NFL. It’s such a prestigious brotherhood, fraternity. And whether I go back or not, I can always say I did it at a high level. Where I’m at right now in my life, do I need the NFL? No. Does the NFL need me? Hell no. And I think that understanding is the reason why I’m able to kinda be fine.”
He continued, “But, yeah, people have hinted towards to say like, ‘Cam, we want you to go back to the 2015 clean-cut Cam. But that was a different me. Right now, where I’m at, it’s about embracing who I am.”
Subsequently, Anderson asked whether anyone had explicitly informed Newton that his dreadlocks were the reason for his exclusion from the NFL.
“There was hints towards it,” Newton replied. “And the thing that is always mentioned is, ‘Cam, you scarin’ people the way you look.’ And I would say, yo, like I’m not gonna name names, but there’s other quarterbacks that’s in the league that don’t look like me, but they got long hair. They don’t scare them, do they? So, we can go tit for tat, tat for tit with it. But I would just turn and nod to that and say, ‘That’s not the reason why I’m not in the NFL.’”
In 2021, Newton played his last game for Carolina. Last month, he performed a small throwing demonstration in front of league officials at Auburn University’s pro day. Following that, the former Most Valuable Player compiled a list of 11 quarterbacks he was willing to support as a backup for the forthcoming season and published it on YouTube a few weeks later.
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