We are finally getting some answers in the incident that took place between Cam Newton and a group of men who attacked him on a 7 on 7 event.
According to two of the men involved, it was Newton who started it with his taunting. TJ and Steph Brown, two of the coaches involved in the fight from TopShelf Performance, explained what set them off.
The two coaches used to work for Newton but had a falling out and it appears that has boiled over to this incident. Newton’s constant taunting angered the men and they fought back.
They released a statement explaining their side of the story.
“The entire incident is profoundly disheartening,” the statement said of the fight. “We aspire to serve as exemplars both on and off the field, dedicated to cultivating a community that prioritizes the safety of our athletes and their families. Our objective is to nurture individuals of strong moral character. We acknowledge our responsibility for the consequences of our actions and for allowing the provocation to lead us to behave in a manner inconsistent with our usual character.”
TopShelf released another statement on their Instagram page.
“We are deeply concerned about the recent incident involving Cam Newton, and our thoughts are with all parties affected. Violence has no place in our community, and we strongly condemn any form of aggression. … Our values are centered around respect and collaboration, and making sure every kid & player thrives to be better than’s around us. We take any deviation from these principles seriously.
“We are actively addressing this matter internally and working towards a resolution that aligns with our commitment to creating a positive space for our team and clients. We appreciate your understanding and want to reassure our community that something like this will NEVER happen again. We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and integrity and will continue to help and grow with the players in the community.”
Newton has yet to address the incident but the promoters of the event also released a statement saying that they didn’t support nor tolerate violence either.
Newton reportedly said “I know that play,” “I taught you everything you know,” “I made y’all” and “I’m your daddy.”Many think that the incident highlights the issues that are happening right now within youth sports.
The adults in the situation are acting like children and setting a bad example for the young adults who are looking up to them. Nothing that Cam Newton said should have set off this firestorm, nothing.
According to some coaches that are part of youth sports, smack talk is part of the game. We saw it last year in the NCAA Women’s Tournament from Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese.
But their taunting didn’t lead to anything off the court between the two, who have mad respect for each other. But when something as simple as a few words leads to this kind of thing happening, it may be time for some coaches to look in the mirror and step aside.
