Newton loses Dannon endorsement after sexist remark

'It's funny to hear a female talk about routes': Panthers QB

Newton loses Dannon endorsement after sexist remark
Dannon has dropped Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton from its group of celebrity endorsers after he made a sexist remark during a press conference with beat reporters. Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

 

The Sports Xchange — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was sacked by one of his sponsors on Thursday.

Dannon has dropped Newton from its group of celebrity endorsers after he made a sexist remark during Wednesday's press conference with beat reporters.

When asked a question from Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, Newton smirked before saying, "It's funny to hear a female talk about routes."

Dannon apparently didn't find the humour and promptly dropped Newton from its Oikos yogurt commercials. The 28-year-old had been featured in those commercials since 2015.

"We are shocked and disheartened at the behavior and comments of Cam Newton towards Jourdan Rodrigue, which we perceive as sexist and disparaging to all women," the company said in a statement on Thursday, per ESPN.

"It is entirely inconsistent with our commitment to fostering equality and inclusion in every workplace. It's simply not ok to belittle anyone based on gender. We have shared our concerns with Cam and will no longer work with him."

Newton's other sponsors include Gatorade, Beats Electronics, Belk, Electronic Arts and Under Armour, according to Forbes.

Panthers director of communications Steven Drummond said in a statement that he spoke withNewton and Rodrigue "and I know they had a conversation where he expressed regret for using those words. We strive as a department to make the environment for media comfortable for everyone covering the team."

Rodrigue said in a statement that Newton did not apologize for his response after she posed the following question on Wednesday:

"Cam, I know you take a lot of pride in seeing your receivers play well," Rodrigue said. "Devin Funchess has seemed to really embrace the physicality of his routes and getting those extra yards. Does that give you a little bit of enjoyment to see him kind of truck-sticking people out there?"

Newton muffled a smile before providing his answer.

"It's funny to hear a female talk about routes like — it's funny," he said before discussing Funches' development with the team.

Rodrigue did not find the humor in Newton's assessment, as evidenced by her posts on social media.

"I don't think it's 'funny' to be a female and talk about routes. I think it's my job," Rodrigue wrote on Twitter.

Rodrigue also tweeted that she spoke with Newton in private after the press conference.

"I spoke with him after and it was worse," she wrote. "I chose not to share, because I have an actual job to do today and one he will not keep me from."

The Association for Women in Sports Media released a statement on the heels of Newton's remark.

"(The AWSM) is very discouraged by Cam Newton's disrespectful remarks and actions directed to a female reporter during today's Carolina Panthers press conference," the statement read. "As a watchdog group, AWSM demands fair treatment and positive workplace environments for women working in sports media."

 

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