GOP pollster Frank Luntz coached Cam Newton on how to talk about race

Cam Newton.
(Image credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton drew heavy criticism in August for telling his GQ interviewer that he didn't want his 2015 comment that he is "an African-American quarterback that may scare a lot of people" to be about race. "I don't want this to be about race, because it's not,” Newton said. "It's not. Like, we're beyond that. As a nation."

The comment infuriated many in the black community, who felt betrayed by Newton's words. "A black woman in Raleigh told me in July that her husband wouldn't allow their son to wear Newton's jersey anymore 'because he turned his back on his people,'" Sports Illustrated's Jonathan Jones writes.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.