Cam Newton was one of the most electric players the game of football has ever seen. He was able to dominate at every level. He won the Heisman and National Championship in college before taking the NFL MVP en route to a Super Bowl appearance just a few years later. But what really set him apart was the infectious joy he played with every time he suited up.
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Not since Hines Ward have we seen a player smile as often during an NFL game as Newton did during his prime years with the Carolina Panthers from 2010 to 2018. During his MVP run in 2015, he popularized a dance move called the dab after scoring touchdowns, which he did a lot that year, throwing for 35 and running for another 10.
But he also did something else after scoring nearly all of his quarterback-record 75 career rushing touchdowns — he handed the game ball to a young Panthers fan in the stands. He recently spoke about that touchdown tradition and why he felt the need to include those kids in his celebrations.
Newton shared that he has always had a love for children because he believes it helps keep the child in him alive.
“My love for children always was a part of me because there is a child in me that I always wanna keep alive. I made it a point no matter what I did and celebrated or dabbed or whatever. After all that, I would make it a point to give a football to a child,” said the former MVP on an episode of 4th & 1.
Newton gave so many kids sitting in the end zone valuable game footballs that, unlike in every other stadium, where the seats at the 50-yard line were the most expensive, the premium tickets for Panthers games were found in the end zone instead.
“I remember vividly, as we were getting into the red zone. All of a sudden, you start seeing a rush or sea of people getting closer and closer and closer to the edge. I’m like, ‘Yo, this is nuts!’ When the cat got out of the hat, when it was like, ‘Bro, I’m only giving the footballs to kids,’ they were dangling kids over the railing! Like, ‘Take my kids!’ (Laughs) You got kids that’s standing up on top of parents!”
The Atlanta native added that it wasn’t just when they played at home at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte — even on the road, the end zones would fill up with fans whenever he and the Panthers got near the red zone.
Newton continues to support kids in different ways now that he’s retired. C1N, an organization he founded in 2011, “focuses on developing young athletes’ skills in football by providing opportunities to compete at the highest level through 7v7 tournaments and other events.”
When he’s not mentoring kids, Newton serves as an ESPN pundit and hosts multiple podcasts.
