According to Cat Crave's Dean Jones, Cam Newton was right about his comments that the Carolina Panthers, the franchise the Auburn football legend once starred for but is frequently critical of now on his podcast, are a hopeless franchise.
"This hiring cycle must go exactly how Tepper and his brain trust envisage," Jones prefaced before saying, "They must strike on their preferred targets with conviction. They must convince them this is a project worth joining. Especially given the increased competition with multiple intriguing openings around the league. Until that happens, Newton is right. There is no hope."
Newton pleaded to Panthers management to understand the fundamental problem: that the fans in the Bank of America Stadium stands and those across the south cheering for the former AU Heisman winner's beloved long-time franchise are completely dejected about the team's trajectory.
"It wasn’t too many things where the fans have hope goin’ into the offseason," Newton prefaced on the January 10 edition of the "4th & 1" podcast before saying, "And that’s what people aren’t getting, or that’s what upper management is not getting in Carolina. It’s like, bro, these people who are keepin’ you in business, that are keepin’ the lights on—they ain’t got no hope."
Auburn football legend Cam Newton critical of Panthers management, but tight-lipped about AU's boosters
Newton shows up to Jordan-Hare Stadium to cheer on the Tigers against Georgia in the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry game, but you won't hear him criticize Auburn's brain trust when big decisions are being made.
While Charles Barkley weighed in on the 2022 post-Bryan Harsin firing coaching search, throwing his weight behind Deion Sanders to get the job Hugh Freeze ended up with, Newton was tight-lipped. Even less-boisterous AU legend Bo Jackson had something to say, but Newton had no notable opinion either way.
As critical he is of Carolina, he'll never be the same way towards Auburn considering what the Plains brought to his life.