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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