The ongoing war of words between Robert Griffin III and Ryan Clark has moved far beyond a routine sports media spat. It began as a disagreement over Griffin’s comments about WNBA star Angel Reese, but that quickly escalated into a pointed, personal exchange.
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Now, Cam Newton has weighed in with a sharp take of his own, advocating the view that the controversy has less to do with what Griffin said and more with who he is and how he’s seen.
The former Commanders star had reacted to Caitlin Clark’s flagrant one foul on Reese by saying “Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark,” and framing the moment as part of a deeper rivalry rooted in emotion and identity. His comments then triggered a wave of reaction online, but none louder than Ryan Clark.
Clark accused Griffin of fueling harmful stereotypes. The former NFL safety even called Griffin out directly for undermining a Black woman to validate his perspective.
That’s where Cam Newton stepped in, offering a cultural lens that many weren’t prepared for. “You cannot speak on something that you didn’t marry,” Newton said bluntly in the latest episode of 4th&1, referencing Griffin’s interracial relationship. “He’s married to a white woman. That’s not an issue, but everything you do comes with a cause and effect.”
Newton clarified that he wasn’t attacking Griffin’s personal choices. Instead, he pointed to how public perception affects credibility in conversations about race and gender.
“If I’m a Black athlete and I’m openly dating a Caucasian woman,” Newton explained, “it limits how I talk to or talk about Black women. That’s just public opinion… Nobody has said it, but everybody thinks it… This hits in a different realm.”
The former Panthers star doubled down by calling out the optics of Griffin publicly criticizing Reese. “Villainizing her… not through examples, just optics — it doesn’t look good,” Newton pressed on. “Be careful where you try to get access to talking about certain things, because you’re going to get challenged.”
But the ex-NFL MVP didn’t just stop at cultural context, he factored in personal history as well. Newton admitted that Griffin and Clark have known each other for years, which, in his view, makes their feud more than an average banter. According to him, that shared past explains why things got so heated.
“So when you hear words like ‘cowardly’ and ‘spineless,’ that’s coming from a deeper place… Real emotions may come out.”
Even so, Newton didn’t dismiss everything Griffin said. “That’s not to say what RG3 is saying is wrong,” he added. “It’s just the messenger, not the message.”
In a dispute that started over a WNBA play but quickly exposed deeper tensions around identity, loyalty, and authenticity, Newton’s take doesn’t at all settle the argument. But that said, it does explain why, for many, this moment felt more personal to many.
