“You Have to Respect Him as a Human Being First”: Cam Newton Reacts to a Fan Heckling Ja’Marr Chase for Denying Him an Autograph

Ja’Marr Chase recently denied a fan an autograph while in public on a flight, and things got a bit messy. Rather than carry on with his day like a normal person, the fan decided to get the Bengals wideout on video and insult him. In response, Cam Newton had some words for the “cornball” fan.

The incident is fairly brief. Chase was spotted by the rowdy fan on a flight sitting in coach. Chase had his hood up and wore baggy clothes to hide his identity, but the fan recognized him nonetheless. In a part that’s not shown in the video that surfaced online, the fan had allegedly asked for an autograph, which Chase denied. So, in a childish response, the fan took a video of Chase in his seat and insulted him by blowing his cover.

“Everyone, say hi to Ja’Marr Chase on your way out. He doesn’t sign autographs, though,” the heckler says in the clip. 

Pretty bad coming from a supposed fan. A real one would’ve realized that Chase didn’t want to be spotted in public, knowing he could easily get swarmed by everyone. But the person taking the video was so out of touch, they had to make it all about themselves.

When Cam Newton saw the video, he was naturally upset and annoyed by the incident. In fact, he didn’t even think the person deserved to be called a fan.

“You’re not a real fan, bro. And this is a message to all fans: if you’re a real fan of that person, you have to respect him as a human being first. Athlete second,” Newton stated on 4th&1. 

The same can be said about fans of movie stars, musicians, or any celebrity, for that matter. These are people just trying to live their everyday lives. They’re not always going to want to stop and draw attention to themselves. In fact, you can show how much of a true fan you are by not freaking out when you spot them in public. It shows that you get it, and the celeb in question will surely appreciate that.

https://t.co/riQUEC6UCN pic.twitter.com/UmAoZWJQsX

— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) June 28, 2025

Furthermore, Newton felt the person’s approach to Chase was wrong. It was almost as if they held the autograph refusal against him. Which is selfish.

“He or she reserves the right to tell you, ‘No.’ Are you asking me to take a picture, sign an autograph? Or are you telling me? There’s a big difference in that,” Newton professed.

Cam then pointed out that regular people don’t have to deal with the kind of attention athletes and celebrities face. And from time to time, it should be okay if they don’t want to cater to someone’s wants or demands.

“If you’re asking me, I have the right to say no, and you have to be fine with that. We don’t come over to your cubicle or your workplace and just tell you, ‘Hey, give me a pen. Move over. Take a picture with me. Sign this real quick.’ Like, no dog, we’re not your circus monkey,” he added.

At the end of the day, everyone should understand how the constant recognition and being asked to stop can get annoying after a while. Chase, like other athletes, shouldn’t always be expected to stop what he’s doing and adhere to a fan’s wants or demands. 

All in all, we’re glad the fan didn’t get the autograph; they didn’t deserve it. Maybe if they had waited until the flight was over and respectfully approached Chase afterward, he would’ve given them an autograph, and possibly more. But instead, they called him out in public, thinking it would make him look foolish. But the thing is, the only person who sounded foolish in the clip was the “fan.”