Cam Newton: ESPN Analysts Are Too Afraid To Criticize Jalen Hurts Because They're 'Homeboys'
The former NFL MVP specifically addressed Ryan Clark after being called out on "First Take."
Cam Newton is calling out Ryan Clark — suggesting the ESPN analyst isn't being honest in his assessment of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
It started when Newton left Hurts off of his list of the top-10 NFL quarterbacks during a recent episode of his 4th & 1 podcast. Despite the fact that Hurts just won a Super Bowl, Newton credited a strong supporting cast, including wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, a strong offensive line, and a good running back, as factors that inflate Hurts' numbers.
Clark took issue with this stance. On Monday's episode of First Take, Clark commented on the "disrespect" aimed at Hurts, specifically by Newton. He also took a jab at the former NFL MVP for the infamous Super Bowl 50 play where Cam failed to jump onto a loose fumble.
Of course, Cam wasn't going to let that slide. So Wednesday, he decided to be petty right back. He blasted Clark and the other "homeboys" in the industry for being too afraid to voice unbiased opinions of certain players.
"The point that Cam is trying to make here, ladies and gentlemen, is let’s make people debate about sports again," Newton said — in the third person, for some reason. "Because there’s too many homeboys in the industry. There’s too many people, the insiders, that are moved by relationships and moved by, ‘Ah man, I can’t talk bad about this person or I can’t critique his game, because I know that coach or I know this particular person.’
"Well, you’re not talking about the person. You’re not even talking about your guys’ relationship. You’re more or less talking about their performance. And that’s what I will talk about."
Newton proceeded to read Clark’s career accolades, like going undrafted, an All-SEC 2nd-team appearance in college and one Pro Bowl — maybe not quite as impressive as Newton’s Heisman, NCAA championship and NFL MVP Award.
He also jokingly brought up Dan Orlovksy's accomplishments, then said, "…nevermind."
"People keep attacking Cam the person or why he didn’t jump on the fumble or why he didn’t do this or comparing and contrasting," Newton said. "So when I compare and contrast you guys’ statistics …as we keep going and keep unlocking and keep poking the bear and y’all want to play this game, I can play this game, too."
Cam went on to say that he respects Jalen Hurts as a person and sees him as a "stand-up guy" — just not a top-10 quarterback.
No matter how Hurts and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles fare in 2025, though, this Newton-Clark feud could be a fun one to watch.