
Panthers WR Steve Smith unhappy with QB Cam Newton
By Steve Reed
Topics: From the Wires, Entertainment News
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Panthers receiver Steve Smith says he” lit into” Cam Newton about his actions on the sideline when the young quarterback was replaced late in the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s 36-7 blowout loss to the New York Giants.
Smith said he was upset when Newton sat sulking on the bench instead of getting up to watch backup Derek Anderson and trying to learn from his own mistakes.
As a team captain and the elder statesman of the team, Smith felt something needed to be said to the 23-year old Newton about the importance of remaining positive and better handling adversity.
“I don’t want to be passive and not do it because if I don’t do it, who will?” Smith said. “The same way with my son, I can’t expect somebody else (to do that). So yeah, I lit into him because I thought it was an opportunity for him to see and understand what was going on. This is more than about playing football. It’s about becoming a man and understanding what this is.”
Newton declined comment through the team’s public relations staff. The team said he isn’t speaking until next Wednesday.
Players have the weekend off.
Coach Ron Rivera lifted Newton in the fourth quarter against the Giants after his third interception with Carolina trailing by 26 points. Rivera said he took out Newton because the game was out of hand.
After Newton was replaced by Anderson, Smith spoke to Newton on the bench because he felt he was sulking over the impending loss.
“I said, ‘Get up and learn from this,’” Smith said. “I watched DA (Anderson) and Jimmy (Clausen) observe from the sidelines the last 20-something games and try to get mental reps. This is an opportunity for you to get some mental reps. Don’t just sit on the bench and sulk. I know you feel bad, but that isn’t going to help us.”
It’s the second straight year teammates have questioned Newton’s demeanor on the sideline.
Last year offensive linemen Ryan Kalil and Jordan Gross both spoke to Newton in private about the importance of not getting down during a game.
“It’s about not missing an opportunity to give him some advice that maybe I didn’t listen to (when I was young) or maybe nobody told me,” said the 32-year-old Smith.
Smith said former Panthers wide receiver Ricky Proehl “did it to me a few times and maybe he was more subtle than I was. But you know what, if I sit back and say, ‘Oh look at Cam over there sulking,’ or ‘look at this, or look at that’ that’s not going to do anything. I told him this is an opportunity for you to learn from this.”
Rivera said he’ll probably have a talk with Newton but wouldn’t discuss what the conversation will be about.
Rivera knows Newton is an emotional player and said there’s a “fine line” to walk between maintaining his burning desire to win and keeping his emotions in check.
“You look at things like, well, if something positive happens do you want to hide the emotions? And if something negative happens do we want to hide the emotions?” Rivera said.
Gross, a longtime teammate of Smith’s at Utah and with the Panthers, said he doesn’t have a problem with Newton’s demeanor. And he didn’t think anything needed to be said about Newton outside of the locker room.
“Cam wears his heart on his sleeve and you know how he’s feeling based on his actions,” Gross said. “He wants to win as much as anybody, and when we don’t he takes it to heart. I would like any of my teammates, if they’re upset about things, to talk it out with us in the locker room, and know that we’re all in it together.”
Smith knows he might take some criticism for calling out Newton, but doesn’t care. Smith said he hopes the lesson will pay off for Newton down the road when he’s retired and the quarterback is setting NFL records.
“If this is something wrong for saying that, well, I’d rather be wrong and one day during his long career he goes, ‘Ah, I hated to hear that, but maybe that’s what Smitty was talking about,’” Smith said.
___
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL
You Might Also Like
More Related Stories
-
Country music has always been feminist, even if Taylor Swift isn't
-
John Horne Burns: The writer Hemingway and Vidal envied
-
John Mayer offers up "Paper Doll" as your new Prancercise jam
-
There are no unicorns in North Korea
-
Is Cindy McCain actually a gay "hero"?
-
On "The Bridge," normal is dangerous
-
Ai Weiwei on his incarceration: "They never looked away from me, 24 hours a day”
-
Is there a "liberal bias" in academia?
-
Dan Harmon apologizes for comparing "Community's" season 4 to rape
-
Former intern sues Atlantic Records
-
All about Kaidence, the reported name of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's baby
-
Exclusive clip from "How to Make Money Selling Drugs"
-
Vice apologizes, pulls suicide-glorifying photo spread from Web
-
What "The Bling Ring" gets wrong about Valley girls
-
Must-see morning clip: "The Daily Show" on the return of Sarah Palin
-
Lil Wayne dances on top of American flag in new music video
-
Charles Saatchi cautioned over assault on wife
-
From "Bling Ring" to Oprah, "The Secret" lives on
-
A head trip to a haunted recording studio
-
Vice re-creates female authors' suicides for maximum trolling
-
Kanye West's sex problem
Featured Slide Shows
Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)
close X- Share on Twitter
- Share on Facebook
- Thumbnails
- Fullscreen
- 1 of 11
- Previous
- Next
-
The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.
-
In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.
-
This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.
-
Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.
-
An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.
-
Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.
-
Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.
-
People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.
-
On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.
-
The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.
-
Recent Slide Shows
-
Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)
-
The week in 10 pics
-
Photos: Turmoil and tear gas in Instanbul's Gezi Park - Slideshow
-
10 summer food festivals worth the pit stop
-
- Share on Twitter
- Share on Facebook
- Thumbnails
- Fullscreen
- 1 of 11
- Previous
- Next
-
The week in 10 pics
-
10 summer food festivals worth the pit stop
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
9 amazing drive-in movie theaters still standing
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
Netflix's April Fools' Day categories
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
-
The week in 10 pics
Related Videos
More Related Stories
-
Country music has always been feminist, even if Taylor Swift isn't
-
John Horne Burns: The writer Hemingway and Vidal envied
-
John Mayer offers up "Paper Doll" as your new Prancercise jam
-
There are no unicorns in North Korea
-
Is Cindy McCain actually a gay "hero"?
-
On "The Bridge," normal is dangerous
-
Ai Weiwei on his incarceration: "They never looked away from me, 24 hours a day”
-
Is there a "liberal bias" in academia?
-
Dan Harmon apologizes for comparing "Community's" season 4 to rape
-
Former intern sues Atlantic Records
-
All about Kaidence, the reported name of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's baby
-
Exclusive clip from "How to Make Money Selling Drugs"
-
Vice apologizes, pulls suicide-glorifying photo spread from Web
-
What "The Bling Ring" gets wrong about Valley girls
-
Must-see morning clip: "The Daily Show" on the return of Sarah Palin
-
Lil Wayne dances on top of American flag in new music video
-
Charles Saatchi cautioned over assault on wife
-
From "Bling Ring" to Oprah, "The Secret" lives on
-
A head trip to a haunted recording studio
-
Vice re-creates female authors' suicides for maximum trolling
-
Kanye West's sex problem
Most Read
-
Why Sarah Palin actually matters again Joan Walsh
-
GOP plan to appeal to millennials: "Make abortion funny" Alex Seitz-Wald
-
Why didn't anyone help? Mary Elizabeth Williams
-
Lynda Obst: Hollywood's completely broken Lynda Obst
-
To my daughter on Father's Day: Sorry I used to be a sexist Mo Elleithee
-
Rahm Emanuel is losing control of his city Mark Guarino
-
The best of Tumblr porn Tracy Clark-Flory
-
TSA agent allegedly tells teenage girl to "cover herself" Mary Elizabeth Williams
-
Museum that discriminates against people says it is being discriminated against Katie Mcdonough
-
Study: Reading novels makes us better thinkers Tom Jacobs, Pacific Standard

Popular on Reddit
links from salon.com

303 points304 points305 points | 7 comments

62 points63 points64 points | 21 comments



Comments
0 Comments