Shoulder injury made Newton feel 'weak ... vulnerable ... scared'
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton opened up in a video posted to his new YouTube channel Thursday about the injury to his throwing shoulder that affected him throughout most of the 2018 season and ultimately cut his campaign short by two games.
"At this persona that we play, you can't show no sign of weakness," Newton said. "But I was weak, and I felt so vulnerable. I felt so scared. I felt so afraid because I knew I wasn't myself. I didn't know what the f--- was wrong with my shoulder. I just knew that it hurt, and I knew there was an issue. I couldn't throw the ball further than 30 yards, no lie. ... So I was trying to keep up with it as much as possible ... until the wheels fell off. ...
"I felt like defenses (were) exposing me because they knew I couldn't throw the ball downfield. Not being in the position physically to be able to make the throws that you know you're capable of making, that was the most disheartening thing."
The former MVP underwent an arthroscopic procedure in late January to clean up his shoulder and said shortly afterward that his recovery was "better than I thought it would be."
Newton completed a career-best 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,395 yards and 24 touchdowns against 13 interceptions over the first 14 games of the season before being held out of Week 16 and 17 due to the injury.
The Panthers reportedly expect him to be ready for training camp and Newton's confident that the 2019 campaign will be one of his best yet.
"A lot of people are saying, 'They've seen the best of Cam Newton,'" he said. "F--- every single thing that's been said that I don't like - straight up. I'm not here to knock on doors, I'm here to kick the motherf------ down.
"Seeing the doubt, hearing the whispers of 'he don't got it no more,' fuels me. That's what makes this comeback even more extraordinary for me. I feel this is going to make me even more dangerous."
The 29-year-old has two years remaining on his current contract with the Panthers at cap hits of $23.2 million and $21.1 million in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
- With h/t to NFL.com