Cam Newton gets ‘the final word’ in series of web videos

We thought Cam Newton had already said all he had to say about the Super Bowl 50 press conference he walked out of last February, but the Carolina Panthers quarterback has once again reflected on the incident and his critics.

In a newly released video touted by The Players’ Tribune as “the final word” from Newton on the notorious press conference, the NFL’s 2015 MVP said: “I’m not perfect. I’ve said that numerous times, and I will continue to say that. I’m a person that’s striving for perfection.”

The website, which features stories about athletes told in their own words, unveiled Wednesday a series of clips of interviews with Newton ranging from about one to five minutes in length.

In the main video – titled “Cam Newton - In My Mind: Players’ POV” – Newton talks about greatness in general, and about a dream he shared with Panthers owner Jerry Richardson in particular.

“Before I even got drafted, I wrote Mr. Richardson a note,” Newton says. “In that note, I stated that there’s no doubt in my mind that I will and want to be the greatest football player to ever play this game. And I am willing and able to give you every single thing that you want.

“I also mentioned that those were big words to say, but in the famous words of Muhammad Ali, ‘I was the greatest way before I even knew I was.’ ”

Newton then discusses, in shorter “bonus” clips, a variety of other topics.

Here’s the one about the press conference and his actions that followed the Super Bowl loss to Denver:

Of his showy touchdown celebrations, he says: “When you know you gave every single thing that your body could even muster, and you achieved something and...” – he pauses, and shrugs. “You deserve it.”

On being more than just a quarterback: “When they see me run, ‘Oh!’ ‘Watch out!’ ‘He’s such a risk!’ Or, ‘How long can he do this for?’ I’m really willing to do anything to win a football game. Running, throwing, blocking, catching, distracting. Anything.”

And finally, he talked about lessons learned from his annual Cam Newton 7-on-7 high school football tournament:

This story was originally published August 31, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Cam Newton gets ‘the final word’ in series of web videos."