VIDEO: Cam Newton Apologizes For 'Degrading' Word Choice During Jourdan Rodrigue Interview

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton apologized to Charlotte Observer writer Jourdan Rodrigue late Thursday after he laughed at her for asking about the route-running of his teammate Devin Funchess. His apology came a day after he received intense criticism for making a sexist comment.

In a video posted on his Twitter account, Newton apologized for the remark.

The controversy was sparked at a news conference Wednesday when reporter Rodrigue asked Newton about the route-running of receiver Devin Funchess. He responded by smiling and saying, “It’s funny to hear a female talk about routes,” with a strong emphasis on the word “routes.”

Rodrigue didn’t tweet that she wanted an apology, but she expressed objection with Newton’s reaction to her question. “I don't think it's ‘funny’ to be a female and talk about routes. I think it's my job,” she wrote Wednesday.

The N.F.L., the Pro Football Writers of America, and The Observer condemned Newton’s remarks as unacceptable. In the video posted Thursday evening, Newton referred to his comment, saying that his word choice was “degrading and disrespectful to women." He apologized to anyone who took offense, but he did not mention Rodrigue by name.

“I take ownership to everything that comes with that,” he added. “What I did was extremely unacceptable."

He continued: “The fact that during this whole process I’ve already lost sponsors and countless fans, I realize that the joke is really on me. I’ve learned a valuable lesson from this.”

On Wednesday, Yoghurt giant Dannon — that has worked with Newton in advertising for its Oikos Greek yogurt — ended its sponsorship with the 28-year-old quarterback. “We are shocked and disheartened at the behavior and comments of Cam Newton toward Jourdan Rodrigue, which we perceive as sexist and disparaging to all women,” read a statement by Michael Neuwirth, a senior director of external communications for Dannon. “It is entirely inconsistent with our commitment to fostering equality and inclusion in every workplace. It’s simply not O.K. to belittle anyone based on gender.”

The statement concluded: “We have shared our concerns with Cam and will no longer work with him.”

Following the controversy, BlackSportsOnline uncovered a tweet from years ago where Rodrigue wrote the N-word. The tweet was written when she was in her early 20s. She is now 25 years old.

The publication called out Rodrigue for her hypocrisy and said she wanted an apology for Newton for saying something sexist when she had written something racist in the past. “The earth moves at +450 mph that’s 10 times than NASCAR. Dale Earnhart’s a b---- n----,” she wrote.

In another series of tweets, she talked about racist jokes being funny. “He’s the best. Racist jokes the whole drive home,” she wrote. “My dad is being super racist as we pass through Navajo land.”

The tweets were deleted from Rodrigue's account, but BlackSportsOnline obtained screenshots of the messages.

Rodrigue promptly issued a mea culpa, saying: “I apologize for the offensive tweets from my Twitter account from 4/5 years ago. There is no excuse for these tweets and the sentiment behind them. I am deeply sorry and apologize.”