“I Was Afraid”: Cam Newton Revisits His Experience Competing in Season 3 of ‘Special Forces’

Cam Newton has attempted some new things over the past few months. He joined ESPN’s First Take in October. He also competed in Season 3 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Newton may not be pulling off tremendous athletic stunts on the gridiron anymore, but he’s still plenty capable. In the first two episodes of the FOX show, he jumps onto a helicopter and wins a boxing match.

Newton discussed the program on the latest edition of his 4th&1 podcast. He informed his audience he was more nervous about his equipment potentially failing him than not being able to complete the stunts we’ve seen thus far.

“There was times during this and filming that I was afraid… like ‘what the [heck]’ like that, not afraid like ‘I’m not gonna do it’… I’ve never been that high up, because – not that I wanted to or didn’t want to… they have height restrictions, they have weight restrictions… [at my] size… you can’t sign a [waiver].”

Newton took his last NFL snap on January 9, 2022. So the show gave him an opportunity to unleash his competitive spirit outside of a football field.

Newton is 35 years old. As he has shown on Special Forces, he still holds considerable athleticism despite being out of the NFL for three seasons. He won an MVP and appeared in a Super Bowl. He has nothing to prove to anyone.

But his time out of football left him with an itch he desperately needed to scratch. Special Forces, in his mind, has helped him remain sane.

“Why are you doing these things to put your way of life in jeopardy? But you still do it because of the thrill. You need it. And I don’t think a lot of people understand, you really need those outlets…I need certain things… cause if you don’t, then that’s when you go crazy.”

Newton also admitted he didn’t fully understand the training military members went through to do their jobs. His time on the show has given him a new perspective and enhanced appreciation for their service.

“They try to make this so comparable to real line of fire… when the title states, ‘the world’s toughest test’, this is a normal day as a Navy Seal. A Marine… being in the army.

“So the sacrifices they’ve made to earn the right to protect and serve this country is something that, I wouldn’t say I took for granted, [but] doing it yourself… it’s like ‘woah’… I was there long enough to be like ‘okay, I get it.'”

Episode 3 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test comes out next Wednesday, January 22, at 8:00 p.m. E.T.