Fans got to hear an unfiltered Cam Newton on Wednesday, September 21, as he took the podium during a Panthers news conference, and responded to questions related to the shooting of Black men by police. "We all have to be held accountable, and when is enough, enough?" Newton asked, after confirming that he's been monitoring the unraveling of recent events, specifically the incident involving the killing of Keith L. Scott by an officer in Charlotte, on Tuesday. While he admitted that he is withholding judgement of the Charlotte killing until he has a better grasp of all the facts, the reigning MVP gave a comprehensive statement, acknowledging a prevalence of injustice in the Black community, encouraging accountability [including the Black community's accountability of itself], and asserting that he has been trying to play an active role in addressing issues at hand, although he says, as a Black athlete, it could be difficult assuming the mantle.
“The place that I stand, sometimes it’s a lose-lose, you know what I'm saying. You say something in one sense and everybody is saying ‘you’re a traitor.’ You say something in another sense and 'oh, he’s just too real’," Newton told reporters. "I’m in a position now where it’s like, if I say something, it’s going to be critiqued. And if I don’t say something, ‘oh, you fake.’ … I’m a firm believer of justice. I’m a firm believer of doing the right thing. And I can’t repeat it enough; of just holding people accountable. I’m an African-American. I am not happy with how justice has kind of been dealt with over the years -- the state of oppression in our community. But we also as Black people, have to do right by ourselves.”
Newton has come under scrutiny for remaining neutral as such leaders in the sporting world as Carmelo Anthony and Colin Kaepernick have come forward to address police violence. Back in July, Seattle Seahawks Pro-Bowler Michael Bennett criticized Newton for putting his brand above his voice, and weeks ago Stephen A. Smith ripped the quarterback after he gave an ESPN interview in which he seemed to waver on addressing racism as a matter that particularly effects the Black community. His statements on Wednesday were much more definitive, as he zeroed in on the failures of law enforcement to gain the community's trust. "The police brutality is ... it's embarrassing to even talk about," Newton said. "When you sit up here and list the names, it's crazy to even think about how did this even happen and how do police who take a leave absence and still get paid?"
Source: instagram.com
