Why NBC’s Rodney Harrison says Cam Newton’s exit from the Panthers is a familiar story
Before he was one of the hosts of NBC’s “Football Night in America,” Rodney Harrison was an all-star defensive player with the San Diego Chargers. After nine years, he left for New England, where he played for six years and won two Super Bowls.
Harrison said he sees a lot of his own story when he looks at former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Newton, who was taken by Carolina as the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft, was released by the team in March. In June he signed a one-year contract with the Patriots. He is expected to start Sunday against the Dolphins.
“I went through a very similar situation,” Harrison said, “where you’ve been at a place for nine years, and when they have new ownership, they have new coaches. You’re going to get a new philosophy. You’re going to get people in there that say, ‘Hey, we don’t want a guy like Cam Newton. We want a change. We want to go in a different direction.’ And that’s exactly what happened. I wish it would have been a little bit more conversation with Cam. I wish they would have maybe communicated just a little bit better with Cam, but Cam is in a really good situation.”
In an interview with local reporters last week, Panthers owner David Tepper said his wife cried about the decision to release the most prolific quarterback in franchise history and NFL MVP. Tepper said the financial uncertainties with the coronavirus pandemic and Newton’s contract put the team in what he called “a very difficult position.”
Harrison said when Newton became available a few months ago, he immediately wanted his old team to pursue the quarterback. That didn’t happen, not at first.
“I said this months ago, I said the Patriots are crazy,” Harrison said. “I was very disappointed in them not pursuing Cam, because here you get a guy who’s extremely motivated, a guy that’s hungry. You don’t become MVP of this league and get to the Super Bowl because you’re lazy.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 7:28 PM.
