Clark is considered “America’s sweetheart.”
Newton made these remarks on the podcast “4th&1.” The podcaster played a clip showing Chennedy Carter’s flagrant foul body check on Clark.
“Why are we acting as if she’s America’s sweetheart in a league full of hyenas, lions, tigers, and bears?” he said.
“Why is this even a clip? I understand she’s probably the face of the WNBA. If we’re going to hold everybody accountable, cool,” Newton continued. “But let’s change leagues. If this happens to LeBron in the NBA, it’s not even mentioned. If it happens to Patrick Mahomes, it isn’t mentioned.”
“Was it a cheap shot? It’s basketball. It’s competition,” Newton added. “It’s part of basketball.”
Newton, who was a star quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, added, “Ball baby, ball.”
“Everybody is coming after you to try to dethrone you and get in your head—mentally, physically, emotionally,” Newton said on the podcast. “And this is just an example of that. How many times have we seen Michael Jordan get his [expletive] whupped?”
Cam Newton said on the podcast that “nobody is above getting checked.”
In the podcast, Newton sent a message to Clark, saying, “Nobody is above getting checked or being disliked. So, Caitlin, welcome to the big leagues. Everybody ain’t gonna like you.”
Newton added, “Everybody is not going to like the fact that you are as young as you are and you’re the face of the WNBA. They’re not gonna like the fact that Nike just dropped a big boy bag on you. So, yeah, you gotta, what did Steve Smith say? You gotta ice up, son.”
He further explained, “This is not the first time, and it’s not gonna be the last time somebody is gonna try to check you to see if you really are who you think you are.”
Newton questioned why this incident was even a story, stating, “This is good for business.” Whether it was a cheap play is “subjective,” he said. “Robberies equate to ratings.” He noted that every time Clark plays, people are interested to see “how they’re either going to stop her or how she’s going to shine. They need this.”
Cam Newton referred to the Chennedy Carter foul as a ‘nudge.’
Draymond Green does this to any of the men in the modern NBA and he’s facing jail time
Chennedy Carter didn’t even get a flagrant pic.twitter.com/1svq7HEQKX
— Bad Sports Refs (@BadSportsRefs) June 1, 2024
“It was a nudge. It was a little shove,” Newton added, insisting he wasn’t trying to be insensitive.
He acknowledged that this kind of play might be unwarranted but said, “We’ve seen this happen to other sports stars.”
Newton’s comments come after news that Clark has been left off the roster of the U.S. Olympic team, according to USA Today.
Since joining the WNBA, Clark’s popularity has been criticized by others who question whether her race is fueling it. For example, “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin said on the show that “white privilege” and “pretty privilege” play a role in her popularity. “Part of it is about race,” Hostin said.