Sex, Lives and Football (Players): Newton – An American Football Quarterback, Idiot…Not a Fig Cookie

By Joanne Kong

Twitter: @kongfu4u

Have you heard of a guy named Cam Newton?  Of course you have.

Newton was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft.  There were high expectations regarding Newton’s ability and that the #1 pick would help the Panthers improve on their 2-14 record in 2010.

And although Newton didn’t disappoint regarding his own performance in his 2011 rookie season, the Panthers again had a losing record only incrementally improving to 6-10.

Specifically, Newton broke several NFL records in his rookie season in the NFL – including becoming the first rookie quarterback to throw for 422 yards in his first game, throwing for 4,784 yards in a season, becoming the first rookie quarterback to rush for 700 yards and to rush for 14 touchdowns.  Newton also set the record for the most total touchdowns by a rookie NFL player (35 total from 21 passing and 14 rushing).  During his rookie season, Newton was selected for the Pro-Bowl, was awarded AP Rookie of the Year and Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year.  It appeared that sky was the limit.

So perhaps you’ve heard of Cam Newton, but do you really know who he is?  Let’s take a look.

First, some basics facts:

Name: Cameron Jerrell Newton

Age: 26 (May 11, 1989)

Hometown: College Park, Georgia

Height: 6’5”

Weight: 245 lbs

Shoe Size: 14

Hand Size: 9 and 7/8”

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Musical Artist: Jay-Z

Dogs Name: Apollo (English Mastiff at 220 lbs.)

Favorite Video Game: Madden and NBA-2K

And now, let’s take a look at a few specific ones:

1) Newton’s Rocky College Career

Newton initially attended the University of Florida in 2007.  As a freshman, Newton played behind the Gators quarterback and Heisman winner, Tim Tebow, and with current Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center occupant, Aaron Hernandez.  Newton played in five games his rookie season, passed for 40 yards and rushed 16 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns.

In 2008, Newton suffered an ankle injury while playing the season opening game against Hawaii.  The injury led to a medical season on the sidelines.

Have you ever heard the phrase “Idle hands are the devils workshop?”

During his season off the field, Newton was arrested and charged for grand theft, burglary and obstruction of justice (trying to discard the stolen laptop by throwing it out of his window) in connection with stealing a fellow Florida student’s laptop computer.  He was subsequently suspended from the team.  However, all charges were dropped after Newton completed a court-approved pre-trial diversion program.

When asked about the incident Newton said:

“I believe that a person should not be thought of as a bad person because of some senseless mistake that they made.  I think every person should have a second chance.  If they blow that second chance, so be it for them.”

In January 2009, Newton transferred to Blinn Jr. College in Texas.  And in 2010, Newton transferred to Auburn University, after which Newton entered the NFL draft.

Since the incident at the University of Florida, Newton has stayed out of the press, at least for any negative off-the-field issues.

2) Newton’s Trifecta

Newton is currently the only NFL player to win the “trifecta” in the same year (2011): The Heisman Trophy, the National Championship and selected #1 pick in the NFL Draft.

3) Newton’s Family in the NFL

Newton’s older brother, Cecil Newton Jr. (age 29), played center for Tennessee State and was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a undrafted free agent in 2009, but initially didn’t make the 52 player roster.  Cecil Newton was signed to the team’s practice squad and promoted to the active roster in December of 2009.

In 2011, Cecil Newton was the 11th overall pick in the UFL Draft by the Hartford Colonials.  After the Colonials suspension in 2011, Cecil Newton was acquired by the Omaha Nighthawks.  Cecil Newton’s career in the UFL didn’t last long, as he left in 2011 and the UFL closed its doors soon after in 2012.  Since August 2011, Cecil Newton served as a member of the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens practice squads.

Newton’s younger brother might not be in the NFL yet, but Caylin Newton may have designs on giving his older a brother a run for his money, currently being a sophomore and the quarterback at Atlanta’s Grady High School.  Caylin also participated in the Cam Newton Foundation 7-on-7 tournament this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGjpNC08LTk

4) Newton’s Home

In 2013, Newton bought a 3,200 ft. three bedroom and three and a half bath condo in a high security building in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The seven unit building features a membership to the Charlotte Athletics Club and a roof-top pool.  His neighbors included Micheal Jordan (Chicago Bulls Legend and Charlotte Hornets owner) and Boris Diaw (current San Antonio Spurs player).

The condo cost $1.6 million and came fully furnished.

5) Cam Newton: A Gatorade Comic

Ever wonder what a Cam Newton comic would look like? Well, believe it or not, it exists. And it’s a DC Universe “origin story”!  Move over, Superman!

6) Newton has a Foundation (Don’t we all?)

The Cam Newton Foundation works by giving back to the community, building relationships with other non-for-profit organizations and sponsors to work towards starting programs for the betterment of the community to enhance the lives of today’s youth in the areas of education, physical fitness and social needs.

The most recent event (June 12-13) was the 2015 Kids Rock! Weekend, where celebrities will play in a kickball tournament to raise money for the charity.

7) Newton’s New Contract

Cam Newton is the newest member of the $100 million dollar contract club.  Newton has been the Carolina Panther’s quarterback for four seasons and was optioned for his fifth and final year of his initial contract, valued at $14.67 million.  It was expected that Newton would be offered a new contract, but what the Panthers would offer was anyone’s guess.  With a shortage of franchise worthy quarterbacks floating around in the league, it wasn’t a surprise that the five year contract extension valued at $103.8 million.  With his current fifth year contract, Newton is expecting to make $118,446 million over the next six seasons.

Let’s break down the financials for the new contract.

For the 2015 season, Newton agreed to a $1 million dollar base salary, a $22.5 million dollar signing bonus and $7.5 million roster bonus.  On June 5, 2015, Newton became $31 million dollars richer.

In 2016, Newton’s base salary will be $13 million, which is guaranteed against injury, in addition to a $10 million option bonus (which is pretty much like a second signing bonus).

In 2016, the Panthers have an option to opt out of the new contract, owing Newton $10 million.

In each subsequent season, Newton’s guaranteed base salary will become $13.166 million (2017), $2.834 million (although the base salary in 2018 is $14.5 million), $16.2 million (2019), $18.6 million (2020).

In total, Newton is guaranteed $60 million in the new contract.  That’s a lot of Jay Z downloads on iTunes.

Good luck, Cam Newton, in the 2015 season.  And good luck, Panthers, in the next 5 seasons, as there are potentially 60 million reasons for regret.

8) Newton Gets a Degree

Newton made a promise to his mother to get his degree, who insisted that he finish what he started.  And, that’s exactly what he did.  It might have taken Newton four years after entering the NFL, but this year (2015), Newton received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Auburn University.  Newton said:

“I wanted to finish something I started.  I value a lot of things in my life, including education.  I now have a degree, and nobody can take that away from me.  It was very important to me to become a college graduate – not for anyone else, but for myself.”

Good for Newton.

Nearly half the players in the NFL in 2014 did not have a college degree, which is still better than other professional leagues.

Newton now falls in a relatively rare category for professional athletes.  Newton’s mother, Jackie, knows the importance of education, being a college graduate herself, as well as the importance role models (like Cam Newton) set for today’s youth

What will Newton do with his Sociology Degree?

After Newton’s NFL career, Newton intends to put his sociology degree to good use by opening a day care or learning center.  Superman Daycare does have a nice ring to it.

9) Newton Co-Hosts the Cartoon Networks “Hall of Game Awards”

In 2014, Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick performed Katy Perry’s “Roar” while hosting the “Hall of Game Awards.”  In the immortal words of Russell Crowe in “Gladiator”, I certainly was “entertained”.  But, Cam, you might want to have some words with your agent.

10) Newton: the Gentleman

Newton carries a woman across a muddy track in his fashionable hot pink blazer at the 2015 Preakness.  Well hello, Mr. Darcy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpBodc_oHZw

11) Newton: The Business Man

Who says athletes aren’t celebrities?  Aaron Rodgers is known for his off the field endorsements for State Farm Insurance (“discount double check”).  If you actually watch television (not previously recorded shows where you skip past commercials, Hulu or Netflix), you might remember seeing Peyton Manning on Papa John’s Pizza, Direct TV, Buick and Nationwide commercials.  And he ended up getting paid about $12 million dollars for those endorsements.

Cam Newton has some business savvy of his own.  Newton has made endorsement deals with Dannon Oikos, Under Armour, Belk (a Charlotte, North Carolina base department store where he produces a men’s clothing line), Gatorade, Beats by Dre, GMC and Drakkar Noir.

12) Newton’s Girlfriend?

We know Newton has a girlfriend.  In a recent interview, Newton said:

“I really love kids.  I tease my girlfriend.  I’m like, ‘Listen babe.  When I make that decision in my life and we have kids, I want 11 back to back to back to back to back.”

But, who is this woman preparing to birth eleven children, one after another, for eleven years of her life and spend the rest of her youth raising them.

An incredibly private Newton is rarely seen photographed with a woman (outside of an event).  Hazel (pictured above) is supposedly an ex-stripper or exotic dancer trying to enter a modeling career.  But without confirmation, it’s all speculation.

All we can be certain of is that Newton does have a girlfriend, based on his May 2015 interview, but whether its Hazel is anyone’s guess.

******

We’ve all heard how bad salt is for us.  But did you know that if you’re a gym-hound and workout for hours a day, salt supplements (no more than 3000 milligrams a day) can enhance your performance?

And although beer can pack a caloric punch, did you know beer also contains essential vitamin B?  If you prefer more of a dark lager, it’s going to also contain lutein (which helps eyesight) and soluble fiber that’s good for your heart.

Perhaps Cam Newton is another example of ‘bad’ but ‘good’…or is he?

According to a recent article, “10 Things I Think, I Think,” the author states that the Panthers overpaid for Cam Newton, arguing that he hasn’t improved since his second season in the NFL.  Although Newton might not have improved, he does seem to have an impact on the Panthers as a whole.

In 2012, the Panthers went 7-9.

In 2013, the Panthers went 12-4, but lost the divisional playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2014, despite the 7-8-1 record, the Panthers still made it to the post season, finishing first in their division.  The Panthers went on to win the Wildcard game against the Arizona Cardinals, but lost the Divisional game to the Seattle Seahawks.

Regardless of whether this represents gradual improvement or not, what choice did the Panthers head office really have when it came to re-signing Cam Newton?

The only real certainty is that Cam Newton had nothing to do with Fig Newtons.  And that Fig Newtons are delicious.