Cam Newton spoke his truth to Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast, explaining how Dan Mullen intentionally tried to sabotage the QB's reputation after committing to Gene Chizik's Auburn football program over Mississippi State.
As "Superman" tells it, Mullen and his wife, Megan, started the rumors that Newton had accepted money to attend AU because the coach was so heartbroken the eventual Heisman winner didn't choose Starkville, MS as his home.
“It was Dan Mullen and his wife that created all this ruckus… $180K? $200K? You can’t hide that, not in my community," Newton said. "Not in my culture.”
. @CameronNewton Paid $180K to Go to Auburn? He Clears The Air & Explains Why He'll Never Go to a Heisman Ceremony
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) April 11, 2024
“It was Dan Mullen and his wife that created all this ruckus… $180K? $200K? You can’t hide that, not in my community. Not in my culture.” pic.twitter.com/oD5bQ1uCUc
Dan Mullen put Cam Newton on the spot after his Auburn football commitment
Newton's re-telling of his phone call to Mullen to alert the Bulldogs' head coach of his Auburn decision in 2010 was unsettling. As Newton recalls, Mullen tried to guilt trip the star QB after finding out that the Tigers had his commitment.
“It was extremely awkward because when I called him, he said, ‘How’s my quarterback?’” Newton recalled (h/t AL.com). “I said, ‘Coach, I just wanted to be a man and call you and tell you and Ms. Megan that I am going to Auburn. I didn’t want you to hear it through the grapevine. I didn’t want you to hear it on ESPN.'"
Mullen didn't take it well and sounded like a bitter person finding out the person they were talking to didn't want to get serious.
“But how Cam?” he asked. “I was going to do right by you. We need you.”
Newton chose AU because he wanted to win, and the Tigers had 22 seniors on the roster with experience and maturity, much like the two-school (Florida, Blinn College) QB did at that time. And wouldn't you know it? Newton did make the best decision possible since it resulted in AU's first championship of the 21st century.
It's wild in hindsight seeing how revenge-minded Mullen was, but Newton got the last laugh in the end after winning it all in college, becoming a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, and winning an NFL MVP Award.