Former NFL MVP Cam Newton addressed his unexpected departure from ESPN, and despite admitting the decision caught him off guard, the former Carolina Panthers quarterback made it clear there is no resentment toward the network. Speaking on his 4th & 1 podcast on July 21, Newton reflected on his experience with ESPN and shared his views on the situation.
“You can’t make me hate ESPN. What I’ve learned, it was an internship almost. The production value. They are the leading sports source for a reason,” Newton said.
“They have the leading talent not only in front of the camera but behind the scenes that make sure whether it’s a live show or whether it’s in studio, that they are always on the cutting edge of topics and information and also how it’s rolled out. So when the news came about, I felt like anybody else would. I didn’t (see it coming), but that’s not the topic that I want to kind of belabor on.”
Although he acknowledged that the news was unexpected, Newton made it clear he has no intention of dwelling on the decision.
Cam Newton Warns Former Athletes
Beyond discussing his exit, Newton also explained how important it is to build something independent outside of working with traditional media companies.
According to the former quarterback, individuals who own their own platforms are in a much stronger position when unexpected situations occur.
“If you don’t own your own platform, you’re gonna get overlooked, bypassed and be extinct just like dinosaurs. It’s unfortunate what happened to Ryan Clark,” Newton said. “What I will tell you is this, Ryan Clark is going to be okay. The Pivot (Clark’s podcast) ain’t going nowhere. It’s unfortunate what happened to me, some would think, but I’m good. ‘4th and 1’ ain’t going nowhere.”
“When you think about what happened to (Emmanuel) Acho, Joy Taylor,” he added. “Different circumstances, different situations, different networks, but this is what you have to understand, when you look at other sports personalities having and taking control of their own narrative.
“It’s imperative that walking into this industry, you would be a fool, asinine behavior, if you don’t take that opportunity to say, ‘Number one, I need to learn as much as I possibly can because I don’t know when that time is gonna call when I get tapped on my shoulder. Number two, take this as a way to bring more attention and to magnify your personal IP.’”
While Newton’s television run has now come to an end, his comments suggest that he is focused less on what he lost and more on what he learned as he continues building his own media brand.
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