Carolina Panthers great Cam Newton did himself no favors with his recent comments about gender roles. Whether or not his views on the topic were expressed or perceived in the way he intended them to be, associating the value of women with the archaic stereotypes he used was a poor decision.
The timing of the most recent episode of his YouTube series, though, is interesting to say the least. In contrast to the vibes he gave off in his now infamous appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, Newton did release a talk of his own this weekend regarding the unfair treatment of female athletes.
In the latest episode of Funky Friday with Cam Newton, the former NFL Most Valuable Player helped shed a light on how differently women, as opposed to men, are viewed in their respective sports. The discussion featured athlete Santia Deck, who is the nation’s highest-paid female football player in the Women’s Football League Association.
As part of the interview, Newton touched upon the defunct Lingerie Football League, which Deck previously played for. While she shared a few experiences from her short time with the organization, Newton said the following.
“For me, I’m pro-women’s rights—to the degree in not just being a person on camera that’s just talking about it. I would love to see how I can bring some type of relevance to it, ’cause one thing I do believe in is following your dreams and following your passion,” he said. “I think it would be entertaining enough to see what like-minded women compete at a high level and do something that’s not always a[**], not always [t****s], not always just—not necessarily degrading women—but only seeing women in their aesthetic.”
Now, Newton’s sit-down with Deck was in the can for a bit. Although the episode was premiered on Saturday, the interview itself took place last month—well before that not-so-great podcast appearance. So, obviously, this wasn’t a response to those comments.
What it was, however, was an unaffected look into Newton’s thoughts on the matter. In the interest of fairness, even though he may or may not deserve it in this case, it’s at least another angle that could provide more context to the situation.
And if all of that is still for the birds, the episode still provides some pertinent perspective from Deck—an engaging and inspiring voice in and on the field that should be heard.