Cam Newton has not played in the NFL since the 2021 season when he struggled through eight games in a reunion with the Carolina Panthers.
He still wants to play, but the former NFL MVP can’t find a job, as a starting quarterback or even as a backup.
Newton told Josina Anderson on the “Undefined” episode that he believes his dreadlocks have something to do with his failure to find work.
“People have hinted towards to say like, ‘Cam, we want you to go back to the 2015 clean-cut Cam,'” Newton told Anderson. “But that was a different me. Right now, where I’m at, it’s about embracing who I am.
“There was hints towards it. 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?”
If that’s the message Newton is hearing from insiders, maybe the dreadlocks are a factor in his unemployment. It’s worth noting there are a number of other NFL players with dreadlocks or long hair who are embraced by their teams.
Yet there are obviously other factors at play. In no particular order, Newton is 34. He was always a run-first quarterback who has lost a step (or two). He always struggled with accuracy. He suffered a major shoulder injury a few years ago that took something off his fastball. And vintage Newton did not endear himself to fans when he would pout during postgame interviews.
Is he worse than every backup quarterback in the league? Probably not, but teams probably don’t see that he’d make enough of a difference at this point to take a chance on him.
NFL fans weren’t buying Newton’s dreadlocks excuse.
Then why is Robbie Anderson still in the league?
It aint the hair, it’s the destroyed shoulder.
— Schlasser (@UrinatingTree) May 5, 2023
The list goes on and on. Honey badger, Hopkins, etc. Many players have dreads.
— moose (@chief_redcloud_) May 5, 2023
As a patriots fan, I can confirm that he isn’t in the league because his 5 yard out route passes went about 4 yards.
— DB (@dbrady1221) May 5, 2023
Lamar got dreads or something goin on and he just got a big deal. Ain’t the hair. He just ain’t got it no more. Currently in denial smh
— Shinelikethesun (@shine2real4u) May 5, 2023
This doesn’t make any sense. So many other players have crazy hair and fashion in the NFL and are on teams.
— Emmanuel (@realmikemayhem) May 5, 2023
You know what they say “dress for the job you want (QB1) not the job you have (unemployed pilgrim)”
— Brad Timmons (@FinzUpMT) May 5, 2023
[Josina Anderson, Undefined, Panthers Wire]
