Former Carolina star quarterback Cam Newton doubled down on recent comments that the Panthers had “a locker room of losers” before drafting him with the first overall pick in 2011, saying his remarks were “aggressive” but “true.”
Newton said during Thursday’s “4th and 1 with Cam Newton” podcast that he was referring to the team’s performance as a whole and not individual players.
“When did we become so sensitive?” Newton said. “When did we become so sensitive to really speaking what the reality is? A locker room full of losers? Aggressive, but it’s true.”
Several former teammates, including star wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., took exception to comments Newton made during an appearance on a podcast with Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter leading up to the Super Bowl. He spoke about the pressure Hunter might face if he is drafted with the No. 1 pick.
Newton told Hunter he has “no way of impacting the game the way a quarterback does” and added: “I went into a locker room of losers. Just honest. Guys didn’t know how to win; guys didn’t know how to prepare. They didn’t take themselves serious to realize we was 2-14. There was a lot of 2-14 in the mentality of those guys.”
Those comments didn’t sit well with Smith, the most productive receiver ever to wear a Panthers uniform and one of 15 finalists for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame. A member of that 2010 team, he made his feelings clear through several posts on X.
“53 man locker room — 1 = 52 losers. Wow… breaking news to 89,” Smith posted along with an angry-face emoji.
Newton said he has “no quarrel” with Smith and understands why he took exception. But he wasn’t backing down.
“I’m not specifically talking about those guys,” Newton said on his podcast. “I’m talking about the culture that was there prior to me coming into the locker room — and it was a losers’ mentality.”
Newton said the Panthers still had it his first two seasons when they went 6-10 and 7-9. He also said he needed to learn how to win in the NFL.
Things started to come together in 2013, when Carolina went 12-4 before losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. The 2015 team went 15-1 and made the Super Bowl, with Newton winning league MVP honors that season.
“Is it me saying that, ‘Oh when I came, I made everything [better]?'” he said. “No. I never said that. What I said was if you’re getting drafted No. 1, you’re going to a bad football team. That’s facts. And that’s the point that I was trying to tell Travis Hunter. You see what I’m saying? For me, everybody is so taken aback, like, ‘Oh, Cam said this.’ Bro, it’s the truth. It’s the truth.”