Cam Newton has been seen plenty of times this offseason, but he's rarely been heard.
The Carolina Panthers quarterback hasn't chatted with local or national media since he tried to explain his post-Super Bowl actions two days after he walked off the podium in Santa Clara. But he may have just kicked off his redemption tour.
As the cover story of Ebony Magazine's April/May issue, the "black(est) Panther opens up about losing, new fatherhood, and the politics of being "The Realest."
Ebony isn't unveiling much of what Newton said online just yet, instead saving the relevant nuggets for those who grab a version from a newstand:
"With his “unorthodox” style, is he a transformational athlete or a rule breaker? Who is the real Cam Newton? Is he a symbol of Black defiance? Does he play the race card? Why does he dress so flamboyantly? Is he the victim of unfair media bias? White America’s poster boy for an entitled, angry brother? Why does he lose so poorly?"
A cover story needs a good cover, and this one has two.
In a nod to Mother's Day, Newton's mom Jackie joined him for a photoshoot inside a historic mansion in Atlanta. You can watch a 'behind-the-scenes' here, but like the online story, it's mostly just a teaser for the big print piece.
"Needless to say, his less-than-graceful moment after the humbling loss didn’t serve to turn down the volume. But sometimes it is by venturing into the heart of the storm and looking defeat—and naysayers—squarely in the eyes that a man can discover who he truly is."