(ThyBlackMan.com) It has been an incredible offseason for NFL quarterback movement. Future Hall of Famers Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson were both traded from the NFL franchises they left as the best quarterback in Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks, respectively, franchise history. The Cleveland Browns made one of the more eyebrow raising decisions in franchise history in acquiring former Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and giving him a history-making contract as there remains questions about his off-the-field past. One quarterback with an NFL resume of success that has yet to be signed is former NFL MVP Cam Newton. Newton did make a midseason return to the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 NFL season that created a big buzz but he didn’t play well or even win a game that he started last season. As he waits to revive his NFL career, his most recent words remind people that he needs more improvement beyond his skills on the football field.
While on a podcast that was released earlier this week, Newton made what he thought was an educated evaluation of the phrase, “Boss B****”. “Now a woman, for me, is handling your own but knowing how to cater to a man’s needs. Right?” Newton said during his appearance on the podcast. “And I think a lot of times when you get that aesthetic of like, ‘I’m a boss b****, I’m this, I’m that. No, baby! But you can’t cook. You don’t know when to be quiet. You don’t know how to allow a man to lead.” Of course, Newton is entitled to his opinion on the roles of men and women and no one wants to legally prosecute him for sharing that opinion on the podcast but Newton would be wise to understand what chauvinism is.
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines “chauvinism” as “an attitude of superiority toward members of the opposite sex”. This is something that Cam Newton obviously has regarding women given he has publicly made chauvinist comments before. In 2017, as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, Newton responded about how “funny” it was hearing a female reporter ask a question about a receiver running routes. ““It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes like, it’s funny,” he said in response to a question from then-Charlotte Observer reporter Jourdan Rodrigue. Those comments ended up costing Newton in the advertising world as Dannon, the maker of Oikos yogurt, dropped him from all advertising campaigns after those comments. You would think that Newton’s thinking towards women would change over 4 years later after his high-profile mistake but it apparently hasn’t.
It is ridiculous and hypocritical for a Black man like Newton who lives in a racist society to put another group of people into a box of what they can and can’t do by virtue of their identity. The days of the ignorant, obnoxious man discussing stereotypical roles of women are dated and tired. They look especially outdated given we are now seeing women getting more opportunities in careers that have been dominated by men forever including as NFL assistant coaches. Cam Newton needs to read up on the important struggles that women have faced here and internationally to broaden his narrow views of what women should and shouldn’t do.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines
