SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Panthers quarterback Cam Newton handled the main stage at the Super Bowl media day with ease on Monday.
He addressed his media critics and how some may have misunderstood his comments about people being "scared" of him because they have nothing to compare him to.
“The truth of the matter is when they see more of me, I need not have to explain myself,” Newton said. “So I feel as if the more people see and, what am I trying to say, the more that they get (to know) me, it becomes easier to digest.”
Newton, a College Park native who played at Westlake High, then went on to describe himself.
“A Super Bowl quarterback, a Heisman Trophy winner, a first-round pick, but more importantly God’s servant,” Newton said. “I’m in this position, I scratch my head sometimes and I ask myself, ‘Why am I in this position?’ A lot of answers that I come back with is, ‘Why not?’ When I look at a lot of people where I’m from, and as you mentioned College Park, they don’t have a voice.”
“Because when the people that they look up to are the rappers, are this type of person, are that type of person, not even people necessarily from the Bankhead in Atlanta terms, but also people that (are) from Buckhead that can make it from that area and be that microphone to so many different people.”
Newton held court from his podium for nearly an hour:
Here are some of the other things he had to say:
On his car crash: "That put everything into perspective. I was going to bring little Chosen with me, but I didn't think he could walk down the steps yet. He's already walking if you (didn't) know. He's a month old. With me going through the car accident, everything is just, I'm just blessed, man."
On his development as a quarterback: "I can't necessarily take that type of credit, because I think that would be a crusade answer, but yet I think it's more understanding right now. I get it at some points, I do. At some, I still need to understand more, but yeah, I'm willing to correct my wrongs and say I'm not perfect."
On his black and gold Versace pants he wore on the flight to the Super Bowl: "It's Super Bowl 50. The mantra…or the colors are black and gold. The black and gold attire that I had in my closet was extremely limited, so when I looked at my pants and I said these are black and gold, these shoes are black and gold, to tie along with the whole Super Bowl 50 black and gold."
On the work of his foundation and his work in Atlanta: "I'm just trying to give them hope, I promise you. It's nothing personal to the people that don't understand, but more importantly, it's for them to see my mistakes. I'm in a position where a lot of people critique every single thing that I do, but yet I'll be the first to tell you that I've made mistakes and whether you're from Atlanta, whether you're from California, whether you're from Georgia, Florida, wherever you're from, you can be international, you could see that a person made mistakes, but yet didn't linger on those mistakes, and I still had dreams and aspirations and still conquered them all."
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