Newton Confronts Benjamin; Handles Situation Perfectly

Cameron Newton Photo: Jeremy Brevard/USA Today

The former Heisman Trophy winner confronted former Panther teammate Kelvin Benjamin about comments he made that criticized Newton and the Carolina Panthers

Wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was a key target for former Auburn star and current Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton from 2014 through the middle of the 2017 season when Benjamin was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Benjamin was on the receiving end of 18 touchdown passes and picked up 2,424 yards receiving during his time in Charlotte.

However, Benjamin’s stint with the Panthers was anything but pleasant, according to an interview he had with Tim Graham of “The Athletic” last week. Benjamin stated that he wished that he had gotten drafted by another NFL team, saying that it was a “bad fit” from the beginning.

When going into detail, Benjamin called out his former teammate (not by name, mind you) by saying that he feels that Newton did not have knowledge of the offense, and could not place a ball well enough to get his receivers a better chance of making a catch.

Since the comments had been made, Newton had kept his response under lock and key, until Thursday night.

The Panthers traveled to Buffalo to face the Bills, which was the first meeting between the former teammates since the trade, and more importantly since the comment was published.

As you can see in the video by Jeff Siner of the Charlotte Observer, Newton took a face-to-face approach when it came to the confrontation with Benjamin.

Newton brushed away his current teammate, Carolina All-Pro linebacker Thomas Davis who could be heard jokingly saying “I thought we was cool,” as he walked away knowing Cam meant business.

Newton wanted to have a man-to-man talk with Benjamin, but the Bills receiver seemed to want no part of it, repeatedly attempting to walk away with his tail tucked between his legs. Newton finally brushed off the situation and returned to his pre-game preparations.

Kelvin Benjamin chose to put the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton’s name on blast and it was the talk of the national media.

Cam Newton, however, knew the Panthers’ pre-season schedule featured a trip to Buffalo so he could handle the situation like any grown man would choose to handle it — face-to-face.

Sometimes these situations can take a turn for the worse, but I applaud Newton for keeping quiet about Benjamin’s comments and waiting until he could discuss the conflict face-to-face. Benjamin, however, comes off as a coward, so maybe he’ll think twice before putting a grown man on blast unless he wants Cam Newton’s foot shoved up his ***.