“Nobody Was Hurt”: Cam Newton Gives His Two Cents on Viral Mascot Fight

Cam Newton’s physical stature would deter most from standing toe-to-toe with the Panthers Legend. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, he is both imposing and intimidating. But the Alabama A&M mascot clearly didn’t get that memo.

During a promotional appearance for the Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, Newton found himself on the field celebrating with the winner of the mascot race. In typical mascot fashion, however, AAMU’s Butch the Bulldog didn’t seem to take losing too kindly.

Butch took a swipe at Newton, seemingly attempting to knock his hat off his head. But the former NFL MVP wasn’t having it. A minor scuffle ensued, though it ended about as quickly as it began.

It was an awkward moment, but Newton is treating it as nothing more than fun. “I’m officially a meme now, I’ve made it,” the former Heisman winner exclaimed during the most recent episode of his 4th & 1 podcast before sharing his side of the story.

“Shout out to all the mascots worldwide… I just thank god that nobody was hurt. Everything was all in good fun,” said Newton.

“And if people wanted to dig deep, they could dig deep and find other clips, but that was the only clip that you saw, so what am I going to do? I’m going to let it air out… I think one thing that it did show me is, people are always watching… Everything was all playful, but it didn’t look like it was playful,” he added.

Newton is no stranger when it comes to getting into physical altercations during lesser football events. The former first overall draft pick was infamously involved in a much more serious scuffle while attending a 7-on-7 youth football tournament in Atlanta, Georgia, in February of 2024.

After Newton had been reportedly taunting an opposing coach for an extended period of time, he was confronted by a former associate of his, Steph Brown, who also happened to be on the opposing team. According to TopShelfPerformance’s official statement from that day, Newton allegedly grabbed the coach and attempted to choke him.

The two then traded blows. But neither Newton nor any representative from his team publicly acknowledged the incident.