Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s comment that it was “funny” to hear a football question from a female reporter on Wednesday has generated a lot of response over the last 24 hours, so it was no surprise that it was front and center at coach Ron Rivera’s press conference on Thursday afternoon.
Rivera addressed Newton’s comment at the start of the press conference.
“Cam made a mistake. I understand he had a conversation where he pretty much said he shouldn’t have said what he said. As far as I’m concerned, what I’d like to do is talk about getting ready for the Detroit Lions.”
Jourdan Rodrigue, the Charlotte Observer reporter whose question elicited the response from Newton, said that Newton did not apologize during a later conversation. The team released a statement saying that Newton “expressed regret” for his comment. Newton has not made any public statements since Wednesday’s press conference.
The majority of the press conference did focus on football matters, although there was a late question about whether Rivera had spoken to Newton directly about the issue. Rivera, who said he had spoken to the team about focusing on football, said that he’d made the only comment on the issues that he cared to make.
