Cam Newton is feeling the strain, and it has more to do with missing his children than the lackluster first year he’s having as a New England Patriot. On Monday night (Dec 29), the Patriots suffered a horrific loss to the Buffalo Bills. Newton shared part of the reason behind his growing frustration with reporters.
When asked about a visual that aired during the Monday Night Football broadcast showing his daily schedule as beginning at 4:20 a.m. and ending at 11:30 p.m., Newton aired his grievances.
“That’s been my schedule for 90 percent of the time I’ve been here, so you can kind of understand the frustration I do have when I don’t have the outcome, because I’m sacrificing so much,” he shared at a post-game conference per ESPN. “You’re talking to a person who hasn’t seen his kids in three months.”
He said the lack of success he’s had despite his sacrifices, and all with only a one-year contract in New England, has been disappointing.
“Obviously, the contract is what it is,” he said. “Submitting myself to this team is something I’ve been doing since day one. Being accessible. Yeah, it’s frustrating. It makes you mad.”
To have a 19-hour workday and miss out on family time only to be embarrassed on the field would be a lot for anyone. It’s especially rough for Newton, who, at age 30, has seven kids to help raise — including two babies who are one years old.
Last year, Newton raised eyebrows off the field. It was discovered that his longtime girlfriend Kia Proctor and an Instagram model named La Reina Shaw were pregnant at the same time. This led to Proctor and Newton breaking up either late last year or in early 2020, seemingly for good. They’d been together since 2013.
The two are moving forward with court proceedings related to the custody of the children and the issue of child support. The latter situation made headlines this fall as Proctor’s $15,000 a month request has been noted as beyond fair, considering the two have four biological children together. Regardless of their current situation’s stickiness, the football player still claims Proctor’s first child, daughter Shakira, as his own.
Aside from their 1-year-old son, Caesar, he also acknowledges Shaw’s teenage son, Jaden, from a previous relationship, as his own. It would appear that Newton really loves being a dad. On Father’s Day last summer, Newton publicly embraced his very large family.
“I’m a proud father of 7,” he wrote. “A daddy isn’t defined as the man who makes the child (not in all instances) but rather a man who extends his hands and time to help with the child’s raising and his heart to love the child through anything!!!”
“Blood doesn’t always make you DADDY. Being a dad comes from the heart,” he added. “Anybody can make a baby but it takes a real man to raise a child. Kudos to all the real men worldwide!! Happy Father’s Day to us.”