Cam Newton posts apology, calls his comment to female reporter ‘extremely degrading and disrespectful’

Cameron Newton/Twitter

Cam Newton on Thursday tweeted a video of himself apologizing for his controversial comments to a female reporter on Wednesday.

Newton, who had said it was “funny to hear a female talk about routes” after Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer asked a question about a wide receiver, called his comments “extremely degrading and disrespectful to women.”

“If you’re a person who took offense to what I said, I sincerely apologize to you,” Newton said in the video.

Newton said he tries to use his platform to inspire people and improve his community and called his comments “unacceptable.”

Scott Fowler of The Observer reported that Newton and Rodrigue spoke after the comments and that Newton was not apologetic, saying only that he maybe should have said “reporters” instead of “a female.” Though the Panthers said that Newton expressed regret for the incident, the NFL came out and said Newton’s comments were “just plain wrong.”

“I’m a father to two beautiful daughters,” Newton said in the video. “And at their age, I try to instill in them that they can be anything that they want to be.”

Following the incident, Newton lost a sponsorship with Dannon. Newton acknowledged losing sponsors and fans, saying he “learned a valuable lesson” from the incident.

Watch the video below: