Many people have lamented the current state of sports media, which seems to prioritize conflict and debate more than uplifting the sports it covers. Many sports fans have pointed to ESPN’s popular debate show First Take as one of the primary catalysts for the current landscape.
One regular featured guest on the show, former Heisman Trophy and NFL MVP winner Cam Newton, fans seem to be becoming increasingly fed up with. Now, Newton is facing criticism for something he said on his appearance on Monday’s First Take episode.
The former quarterback made a remark involving the ever-controversial late O.J. Simpson when referencing the performance of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“The last person to put up this much yards, God rest his soul, was O. J. Simpson, respectfully,” Newton said on the show.
"The last person to put up this much yards, God rest his soul, was O. J. Simpson, respectfully" – Cam Newton pic.twitter.com/0rvVowUW0h
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 1, 2025
Many fans took to social media to voice their displeasure with Newton for mentioning Simpson, who these days is more widely known for having been accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
“Cam should really apologize for this,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Stop putting this idiot on television and behind a microphone,” another person added.
“As soon as I heard him say that I let out the biggest ‘oh boy here we go,'” someone else wrote.
It’ll be interesting to see if Newton addresses the comment again.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.