Panthers QB Cam Newton on celebrations: 'I don't plan on changing'
SAN JOSE — Cam Newton has heard all the uproar about his bold celebrations.
Come Super Bowl 50, don't expect anything else.
"I don't know," the Carolina Panthers quarterback said Monday night when asked why his actions upset some fans. "But I guess you're going to have to get used to it, because I don't plan on changing."
Newton, the presumptive league MVP, has become a national story for the way he punctuates his touchdowns with dancing, dabbing, impersonating Superman and handing footballs to young fans in the stands.
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"I'm just trying to give them hope," Newton said of young children. "I promise you, I'm not trying to offend anyone that doesn't understand. I'll be the first to tell you, I made mistakes."
But rejoicing after a good play isn't necessary one of them. Newton's swagger doesn't seem to bother an old school Hall of Famer.
"There are a lot of players who don’t like him because he likes to dance," record-setting Super Bowl receiver Jerry Rice told USA TODAY Sports. "I think their head coach, he says they are not going to change anything. It’s not a distraction for the team.
"As long as he is not directing that at anyone, no. It doesn’t bother me."
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So any special celebrations planned for Super Bowl Sunday?
"I guess you'll just have to wait and see," replied Newton.
But he did have plans for the ball if he does get into the end zone.
"Give it to the first kid I see," Newton said. "Nothing's different."
As for the controversy, he'll go the no harm, no foul route.
"I'm not hurting their feelings," he said. "I'm not doing anything to break their bones. I'm just doing something that makes me happy."
Contributing: Eric Prisbell, Lindsay H. Jones
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