Cam Newton Under Fire for Misogynistic Comments About Women Who 'Don't Know When to Be Quiet'

The quarterback made the comments during an appearance on Barstool Sports' podcast, Million Dollaz Worth of Game

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Published on April 12, 2022 12:56 PM

NFL player Cam Newton is facing backlash for comments about women he made during a podcast appearance this week.

In the latest episode of Barstool Sports podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game, published over the weekend, the former Panthers quarterback recalled his upbringing, saying that his father, mother, and grandmother gave him a "perfect example" of what a man is — and what a woman should be.

"I knew what a woman was – not a bad bitch," he said.

"A bad bitch is a person who is just, you know: 'Girl, I'm a bad bitch, I'm doing this, I'm doing that,' " Newton continued. "I look the part but I don't act that part."

Newton told hosts Gillie Da King and Wallo his family's dynamic showed him "what a woman was," which he defined as "handling your own, but knowing how to cater to a man's needs."

He criticized the "aesthetic" of a "bad bitch," saying, "but you can't cook, you don't know when to be quiet."

Newton then clarified that he referred to women as "bitches" not in an effort to "degrade a woman, but just to go off the aesthetic of what they deem is a boss chick."

"I don't wanna beat up on my queens," he later said. "But I'm also gonna tell the men to start being men. That sucker s--t can't be rewarded."

A rep for Newton did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Social media users were quick to react to the athlete's remarks, with sports journalist Nicole Auerbach tweeting, "Based on this, I'd argue Cam's the one who doesn't know when to be quiet."

Another Twitter user called Newton's sentiments "dumb" and "archaic."

Some were critical of the backlash, saying that Newton is entitled to share his opinions. Others said that a clip from the full podcast of Newton's comments that have been shared on social media was taken out of context.

This is not the first time Newton has made headlines for what fans have deemed misogynistic comments. In 2017, he laughed at reporter Jordan Rodrigue's question about routes during a postgame press conference. "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes," said Newton at the time.

Newton was the first overall NFL Draft pick in 2011, joining the Carolina Panthers. He played with the team until 2019, before taking over Tom Brady's vacated spot as the New England Patriots' quarterback from 2020-2021. He rejoined the Panthers on a one-season contract for last season, and is now a free agent.