Former NFL star berates Cam Newton for celebratory antics
In a recent interview with USA Today, former defensive star Richard Dent laid into Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton for his theatrics on the football field. Dent took particular umbrage with Newton's touchdown celebrations, which some have called excessive and disrespectful to the NFL players he's competing against.
"Act like this is what you're getting paid to do," Dent told the reporter. "But these kids, that's what you get in the Twitter, Facebook world. It's 'Look at me!'"
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When Dent was asked how he would react if he were still playing and Newton dabbed or danced in front of him, the Chicago Bears great pulled no punches with his response.
"I'm going to knock your a** out of the game. That would've been my approach. At some point in the game – not with a cheap shot – I'm going to try to get a shot that puts you out for the day. That's the risk when you want to showboat all the time."
While Dent certainly has the credentials to back up his tough talk (he played on the 1985 Bears squad and won Super Bowl XX MVP honors), it's worth noting that Dent is also famous for his prominent role in the "Super Bowl Shuffle" rap song and music video. In it, a number of Bears players boast about their season accomplishments and impressive performances in the championship game – even though the footage was shot and released weeks before the actual Super Bowl took place. While the Bears would go on to win the big game in dominant fashion, the song still ignited controversy at the time.
Some might say Dent has a history of showboating himself, which would make his remarks hypocritical. But the retired football player isn't backing down from them anytime soon.
"It's disrespectful... (Newton's) head is so high, he's going to have a problem after he's finished playing — personality-wise — if he doesn't get to where he wants to be."
If Carolina runs the table and finishes a perfect season with a Super Bowl championship, Cam Newton will certainly have gotten where he wants to be. At that point, he'll have earned the right to celebrate all he wants to.
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