Cam Newton on Colin Kaepernick’s protests: ‘He made the ultimate sacrifice’

Panthers QB Cam Newton had offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder.

Panthers QB Cam Newton had offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder.

Nearly a week after a record number of NFL players took a knee to demonstrate unity against comments made by President Donald Trump, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton paid tribute to the man who started it all.

Newton said Thursday that free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick— who began taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem last season to protest police brutality and social injustice— is a legend.

"He made the ultimate sacrifice (as a player)... A person that does have the talent to play, a person that should be in this league, but I feel as if he's not getting his just due because of his views... That's a legend," Newton said, according to Bleacher Report.

Kaepernick has not been signed by an NFL team since opting out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in March.

Newton spoke in favor of Kaepernick earlier in September saying Kaepernick should "absolutely" be signed to an NFL team.

"Do I think Kaepernick is better than some of these starting quarterbacks in the league? Absolutely," Newton said. "Should he be on a roster in my opinion? Absolutely. There's no question about it. Is he good enough to be on a roster? Is he good enough to be a starting quarterback? Absolutely."