"I never once wanted to leave Carolina. Don't let them believe, don't let them believe anything else"
Tuesday 30 June 2020 12:02, UK
Cam Newton addressed his move to the New England Patriots on Monday by releasing a vlog detailing his departure from the Carolina Panthers after nine seasons.
Within the video, titled "Farewell Carolina, Hello New England", Newton clarifies the circumstances of his exit before a montage exhibits both his success on the field and charity work off it during his time in Carolina, underlining his appreciation for the organisation's fan base and local community.
It opens with footage of Newton on a treadmill on March 17, reacting to the news that the Panthers had given him permission to seek a trade.
"Right now, like I'm angry, I just feel let down but at the same time, I'm not bitter," he says.
"I know since the first day I came into this league, that this day was gonna come. I've been with the organisation, a great organisation, for as long as I've been in the NFL.
"I'm sad for this day to come. But, at the end of the day, in the famous words of Nipsey [Hussle], 'The marathon continues.'"
The 31-year-old was officially released by the Panthers on March 24, before the team signed former New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater two days later.
Newton has since been largely overlooked by the league, but found his new home on Sunday when Bill Belichick and the Patriots snapped him up on a one-year, incentive-laden deal worth up to just $7.5m.
"I never once wanted to leave Carolina," he adds. "Don't let them believe, don't let them believe anything else. It was their decision. I stuck with it and I knew that so I asked for a trade. Everything else, that's BS.
"I'm not bitter. I just understand that this is business first, I appreciate Matt Rhule, David Tepper, everybody affiliated with the Carolina Panthers organisation."
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