‘Put me in your jock sock cart.’ Cam Newton’s clothes, play called out by former NFL QB
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia didn’t hold back Sunday evening in his assessment of Cam Newton’s ... attire?
Newton, who had a reputation for eye-catching fashion statements at the press conference podium during his nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers, was well dressed walking into Gilette Stadium on Sunday, as documented by the Patriots’ Instagram account.
But “look good, play good” didn’t work out for Newton, now New England’s quarterback, Sunday against the 49ers as he completed 9-of-15 passes for 98 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. To make matters worse in the Patriots’ 33-6 defeat, Newton got himself benched because of his poor play.
The mixture of bold attire and a forgettable performance by Newton seemed to push Garcia over the edge on the NBC Sports Bay Area postgame show Sunday.
“You go into this game two touchdowns, four interceptions. You throw, what, three more interceptions? You get yanked in the second half. There’s nothing good going your way. Why are you dressing like that to bring more attention to yourself?” Garcia said.
Newton missed the game against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago after a positive COVID-19 test and had been struggling in the early half of the season. He has completed 88-of-131 pass attempts in 2020 for 969 yards with two touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Newton was released by the Panthers in March.
“I’d be trying to ask the equipment manager, ‘Put me in your jock sock cart and sneak me in the back door and I’ll show up on the field and do the best that I can,’ ” Garcia continued. “This just goes back to a couple years of just watching this guy and seeing him at the podium and yet what he’s doing on the field does not translate to being that guy (who dresses like that).”
The Patriots are 2-4 and have lost three straight games. They play at the AFC East first-place Buffalo Bills next week.
This story was originally published October 25, 2020 at 10:27 PM.