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Carolina Panthers leave ‘doors open’ to Cam Newton return despite retired NFL quarterback’s issues with team
Newton isn't playing football anymore but won't officially retire
THE Carolina Panthers have made it known that their "doors are open" to a Cam Newton reunion.
Despite Newton claiming there was some friction between the two sides, the team insists that Newton is a "team legend."
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A Panthers spokesperson shared a message with the Athletic's Joseph Person about Newton's status within the team.
"Cam Newton has been and will continue to be welcomed by the Carolina Panthers," the spokesperson said.
"Our doors are open, as they are to all team Legends."
According to Person, "Newton has been invited to multiple team events in recent years but did not attend.
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Last season, Newton said on his podcast that he didn't have a "quarrel" with Panthers owner David Tepper.
Newton did however share that he was upset that he wasn't invited to Germany with other Panthers legends.
He also said that his son noticed that there weren't any pictures of him in the Panthers' facility when he played a tournament there.
Newton said team officials don't know if he's retired or not, leading to confusion among them.
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"Me and that franchise, it’s simple. It takes two to tango," he said.
"I’ve reached out multiple times and did certain things. There’s so much familiarity there.
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"How do they look at you? Do they look at you as an ambassador or do they just look at you as a former player?
"It’s a difference."
Newton won't officially retire, but he did confirm that he will never play football again.
"At this particular point and time, the question was, 'Oh, we don’t know if Cam’s retired yet.' News flash: I’m never gonna retire," Newton said.
"I know I’ve played my last piece of football. It don’t matter to me to officially retire.
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"I’m in a happy place."
It seems that both sides do want to make peace though, with current players even expressing their desire to have Newton back around the team.
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"I’ve been to some of those events where they’ve been like, ;How can we get No. 1 back in the building? What do we need to do?' They want him back around," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn told The Athletic.
"And this just ain’t regular people in the building. These are people who’ve got a say-so."