Cam Newton fires back at Paul Finebaum over calling him the worst player Urban Meyer ever dealt with

On a recent edition of First Take on ESPN, analyst Paul Finebaum took aim at former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton. He called Newton the worst player that Urban Meyer has ever coached, apparently according to Meyer himself.

The clip reached Newton, who pushed back in a very polite but forceful way. Newton reacted to several elements of the clip, so it’s probably best to lay out the claims Finebaum made first before diving into Newton’s reaction.

“I was actually quite aware of why he left the University of Florida,” Finebaum said of Newton. “You might call Urban Meyer, he’ll be happy to tell you that Cam Newton — because he told me — is the worst guy he has ever dealt with in his college career. Now that’s saying a great deal considering some of the 30-for-30s that have been done on a few of his other players, but I just wanted to make that point. Urban likes to whitewash history with the best of them.

“But the point being that Cam Newton got kicked off the team, as you know. He went to Blinn Junior College. He only played one meaningful year. And on the final play of Cam Newton’s career — Gene Chizik told me this, the former Auburn coach — he told Cam Newton to take a knee in the national championship game. Cam Newton decided to be Superman and try to dive over the pile at Oregon. And he failed, nearly fumbling the ball, and they had to kick a field goal to win the national championship.

“I bring up all this ancient history; Cam Newton was selfish. Tim Tebow was the consummate team player. He led that team to a national championship on his own. He participated in 2006 with Chris Leak.”

Newton watched the clip play on his show, 4th & 1 with Cam Newton. He took a measured approach in his response, though.

Rather than react viscerally to the accusation of being a selfish player and the worst that Meyer coached, Newton went through the accusations one by one to provide his response.

“Do you really think I was the worst player that Urban Meyer has ever dealt with? Your words, not mine,” Newton said. “For him to say these things in reference to me is almost like a slap in my face. To think about this way, and look how far we’ve come, normally a Paul Finebaum could say this and guess what? I couldn’t say anything about it. I wouldn’t have a platform. But Paul, I’m going to take the high road. But what I really want to tell you, my member of the media brother, you’re lying. And stop it. Please. Because that slander, that mud that you’re throwing, the old me would have had other words and other retaliation tactics.

“The worst that Urban Meyer has ever dealt with? Now Urban Meyer was a coach that was at Ohio State, a coach that was at the University of Florida. Coached at University of Utah. For me to be the worst that he’s ever dealt with, we all know that that’s a lie.”

Newton also addressed his departure from Florida. He disputed the notion that he was kicked off the team.

“The real reason why he got kicked off the team? Well tell the people,” Newton said. “What you going to say? That I stole a laptop? That’s not true, because Urban Meyer will tell you. I had to transfer. While Tim Tebow was there I wasn’t going to play, Paul. So I had to go and transfer.

“Now did certain things happen? Yes, but don’t let that speculation cloud your judgment of why I had to leave. Did it happen while I was there? Yes. But the reason why I left is because of the reason why I went there in the first place. I went there to play football. I did not get kicked off the team, Paul. Normally I would have had to take that pie to the face or that rib shot or that sucker punch. But nah… now members of the media look like a bunch of brothers and sisters that have been in the locker room and can speak their truth. I like where I’m at.”

Newton also tackled the final play in the national championship game. He noted that he had talked with his teammates about going for it before the play.

That many good teams are led by great players. That’s why Auburn went for it.

“It didn’t work. We still had a timeout. So what, you’re going to get mad at a person who has took on this responsibility to be a team leader and a team captain and to also counsel with other players, like, ‘Hey bro, what we want to do?'” Newton said. “‘We want to try it.’ ‘OK, let’s try it.’ But don’t lead with the narrative that Cam was a selfish player. Don’t do that, Paul.”

Finally, Newton plead with Finebaum to understand that he’s dealing with a fellow member of the media who has a platform, not a player that has no way of punching back. He even lobbed a pitch to ESPN to hire him.

“It’s me, your humble servant and a member of the media just like you,” Newton said. “And hopefully ESPN come holla at me again and we’ll be constituents. We’ll be peers.

“Paul, this is me. Cam. A member of the media just like you, bro. So please keep in mind, don’t start nothing with me, because I’m not going to always take the high road like this. I appreciate what you’ve done and impacted to the college football world. But also respect and understand what I also brought to the table for the college football.”