Cam Newton: I’m hoping to be a trailblazer for athletic quarterbacks
While a guest on ESPN during halftime of the Pro Bowl on Sunday, Panthers quarterback Cam Newtonsaid that he hopes to be a trailblazer for quarterbacks in the NFL.
“I’m hoping to be a trailblazer to not give an avenue not only to African-American quarterbacks but athletic quarterbacks as well,” Newton said. “You can be Caucasian. You can be any type of ethnicity outside of African American and that's what I was trying to preach.”
Newton’s comments follow up on the statement he made last week, when he told reporters that he believes he scares people because they haven’t seen an African American quarterback like him before.
Newton added that he believes he isn’t a quarterback that “can necessarily be labeled” because when he entered the NFL draft he was compared to players who are no longer playing in the league.
The 26-year-old passed for 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns during the regular season. Newton also rushed for 10 touchdowns, and led the Panthers to an NFL-best 15–1 record.
Newton will become just the sixth black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl when he takes the field against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. If the Panthers defeat the Broncos at Levi’s Stadium, Newton will become just the third black starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl.
