When Jason Whitlock insisted Cam Newton’s haircut was root cause of Patriots failure - “Cut your damn hair”
Cam Newton's lengthy hairstyle has been his staple since being selected by the Carolina Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft. Newton spent the first nine seasons of his career with Carolina before moving on to the New England Patriots in 2020.
Analyst Jason Whitlock spoke about how Newton was the root cause of the Patriots' record in 2020, specifically targeting his haircut after a loss:
"Cam Newton needs to cut his damn hair before I’m going to take him seriously. I know people think that’s crazy and ‘what does his hair have to do with it?’ but it’s about a mindset, and it’s about being a leader. Cam Newton is not an NBA player, he’s an NFL quarterback.
"The standards of leadership, and the amount of focus it takes – any energy you're giving to your style of dress, hair, and all that other stuff, is energy you’re not focusing on the detail, and concerns for detail that you need to have at the quarterback position."
He continued:
"Cam is sloppy and inconsistent, his mechanics were no good, he got sloppy at the end of that game carrying the ball in a loose fashion, it was knocked out, and he cost his team the game. Cut your damn hair, Cam. "
It wouldn't be the last time that the former NFL MVP's haircut would be a topic of conversation. In an interview with Josina Anderson on her "Undefined" podcast, Newton was asked if his hair was a reason that he was no longer in the NFL.
The quarterback noted that he hoped it wasn't the reason he was being blackballed by the league:
"Needless to say, I hope I’m not being blackballed for that but I don’t think that that’s the situation... They can think what they want, but the reality is who knows. My hair is deeply rooted in my culture and the people who look like me.”
Whitlock's comments came after a Week 8 matchup versus the Buffalo Bills. Newton fumbled the ball with under a minute left in the game. The Bills went on to defeat the Patriots 24-21.
How the Patriots fared in the 2020 season with Cam Newton at QB
The New England Patriots finished third in the AFC East with a record of 7-9. Cam Newton threw for just 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions but had a greater impact in the ground game.
He was second on the team in rushing yards (592 yards) and first in rushing touchdowns (12).
Newton accounted for 60 percent of the total rushing touchdowns on the Patriots offense. It was the second-most touchdowns on the ground in a season for the three-time Pro Bowler since his rookie season where he had 14 of them. He was cut by New England ahead of the 2021 season.
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